ISO
Left: Rick
Stainton, CEO
of international
agency Smyle
Smyle’s hybrid approach
Using ISO 20121 effectively is about
more than just paying for a sustainability
certificate, then: it is about
demonstrating you can integrate
sustainable practice into every level of
your business. This is something that
Rick Stainton, CEO of international
agency Smyle, knows well.
Smyle was among the early adopters of
ISO 20121, acquiring third-party
certification by the British Standards
Institute (BSI) and setting up the
Sustainable Events Summit in 2013. The
agency chose not to renew its
certification when it expired, however,
and Stainton explains why: “We adopted
a hybrid approach, taking forwards what
we think are the key principles of the
ISO, but doing it in a way we feel is
appropriate for a creative agency that
goes at quite a dynamic pace.”
Stainton raises some doubts about
whether the rigorous auditing process of
third-party certification is suited to small
and medium-sized events companies. He
says: “The principle of the measurements
and the communication and reporting is
very relevant, but if you want to change
habits, and makes processes and
behaviour more sustainable – in our
experience it sucked a disproportionate
amount of energy, resources and
momentum away from the doing.”
10 /
CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
Below: The London
2012 Olympics
is one city-wide
event with a
sustainable legacy
/
ISSUE 105
The auditing process, perhaps, needs
to be adjusted to the fast-paced and
changeable nature of the events industry.
Pelham adds: “Some of the auditors are
more used to going into a company that
– for example – makes cakes every day,
and does the same thing at 9 o’clock. We
know the events industry isn’t like that.”
A new standard
Now is a good time to be thinking about
the audit process, as the ISO is currently
in the planning phase for a second
standard around sustainable events: ISO
22379, Security and resilience –
Guidelines for hosting and organising
large city-wide events.
As its (equally catchy) name implies,
the new standard will be zooming out to
look at how major events impact cities
and countries on a macro level. Lars Erik
Jensen, Project Manager on ISO 22379,
says it will “help [them] to understand
the impact of hosting a major event, both
from a social and financial perspective,
but also from a sustainable perspective.”
Any event professionals who think
they have relevant knowledge or
There are still many
misconceptions surrounding
ISO certification, and many
small event businesses write
the standard off.”
experience can contribute to the
construction of the ISO. Jensen says: “To
get involved, you can contact your
national body of ISO and ask to be
registered as an expert in the ISO work.”
Likewise, event professionals in the
UK can contribute feedback on the
existing standard. The British Standards
Institute is currently searching for people
to join its national committee, providing
feedback in order to improve ISO 20121:
Sustainable Events.
In the events industry, we hear a lot of
talk around the issue of sustainability. If
you want to be part of the change, we
urge you to consider whether ISO
certification can make your business
more sustainable, or whether you can
contribute your expertise to making the
standards as effective as they can be.