Implementation walkthrough
How to implement ISO 20121: video walkthrough
A walkthrough of implementing an ISO 20121 event sustainability management system that survives event week, not only the planning meeting.
Key takeaways
- ISO 20121 covers environmental, social and economic impacts across the event cycle.
- Sustainable development principles and a mission statement come first.
- Supply chain management brings event suppliers into the system.
- The system should run at a real event before the certification audit.
- Accreditation for ISO 20121 certification is not offered everywhere.
Sustainability in every event decision
ISO 20121 is the international standard for event sustainability management systems. It sets requirements for managing the environmental, social and economic impacts of any type of event or event-related activity across the whole event management cycle, from concept and planning through delivery to post-event review. It applies to the organisation behind the events, whether a conference organiser, a stadium or a caterer, and its influence is meant to reach through the supply chain to the interested parties each event touches.
By its own account it is not a checklist or a reporting framework; it makes sustainability part of every decision an event team takes. The real test is whether those decisions survive event week. This short film walks through how the system is implemented.
Put the system to work at a real event
Decide what the certificate should cover: one event, a recurring event or the whole event business; which venues, countries and phases of the event cycle; and what the client or event owner expects to see. A gap analysis then compares current practice with the standard.
Implementation defines the organisation's sustainable development principles and mission statement, identifies and evaluates the sustainability issues its events raise, from climate change to social impacts, and engages the interested parties concerned. Objectives and plans follow, and supply chain management brings caterers, contractors, venues and other suppliers into the system, because much of an event's impact sits with them. The system is then put to work at a real event, with performance monitored and reviewed against the governing principles of sustainable development in a post-event review. Internal audit and management review follow before an independent certification body assesses the system and decides.
Sterling's expert and experienced consultants build the principles, issues and supplier controls with your team under Sterling OS™, with the records held in Effivity. ISO 20121:2024, the second edition, is current, and accreditation for ISO 20121 certification is offered by some accreditation bodies but not all.
ISO 20121 at a glance
- Purpose
- Managing the environmental, social and economic impacts of events across the whole event cycle, from concept to post-event review
- Relevant to
- Organisers, agencies, venues, exhibition contractors, sports and public bodies, and event suppliers of any size
- Edition
- ISO 20121:2024, the second edition, published April 2024; 2012-edition certificates follow their issuer's transition date
- Certification
- An independent certification body audits and decides; accreditation for ISO 20121 is offered by some accreditation bodies but not all
- Sterling's role
- Principles, issues and supplier controls built with your team, Effivity, training, internal audit and certification readiness, then Sustain™
- Cost and timing
- Total investment for an ISO 20121 event sustainability management system depends on the current maturity of your processes, the scope, locations and number of employees. The process typically takes 3 to 6 months
ISO 20121: questions people ask
Is ISO 20121 certification mandatory?
No law requires it. Event owners, rights holders, clients and public bodies can make it a tender or contract condition, and some organisations adopt it unprompted because it brings sustainability into planning, where changes cost least.
Can a single event be certified, or only an organisation?
Both. A system can be set up for one event or for a whole programme of events and services. Under Italy's ACCREDIA rules, for example, a certificate for a single event with no further editions is valid for that event's cycle, while a system covering recurring events holds a three-year certificate with surveillance. Ask your certification body how it treats one-off events.
Can venues and event suppliers be certified, not only organisers?
Yes. The standard covers any type of event or event-related activity, and certification bodies certify venues, caterers, security, lighting and sound suppliers as well as organisers. The certificate's scope should state which activities, sites and event phases were verified.
Do we need third-party certification, or can we declare conformity ourselves?
The standard allows three routes: first-party self-declaration, second-party confirmation by an interested party such as a client, and independent third-party certification. Self-declaration costs least but rests on your own word; certification gives an event owner, sponsor or client an independent opinion. The system and its evidence are the same either way.
Is accredited ISO 20121 certification available in our country?
It depends on the national accreditation body. Italy's ACCREDIA and the UAE's EIAC both accredit certification bodies for ISO 20121:2024 under ISO/IEC 17021-1. In the United Kingdom, UKAS invited certification bodies to a pilot accreditation programme in October 2025, and the Philippine Accreditation Bureau did not list the standard as of September 2026. Where no accredited route exists, check the body's credentials and scope, and whether your client will accept its certificate.
Keep exploring
Related to this video
The complete guide
Everything on ISO 20121
Start with the ISO 20121 page, or go straight to the guide you need.
On the ISO 20121 page
Often combined with ISO 20121
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