What ISO 20121 covers
ISO 20121 is the international standard for an event sustainability management system. It helps organisations plan and deliver events — from conferences to festivals — in a way that reduces their environmental, social and economic impact, while still meeting the event’s objectives. First published in 2012 and revised in 2024, it gives the events industry a structured, certifiable approach to sustainability rather than ad-hoc green initiatives.
It applies to anyone in the events value chain: organisers, venues, and the suppliers and contractors who support them.
What certification involves
Certification is a two-stage assessment that examines how sustainability is managed across the event lifecycle, typically including:
- Identification of the event’s significant sustainability issues and stakeholders
- Objectives and plans to manage and improve impact
- Operational controls over procurement, resources, waste and supplier engagement
- Measurement and review of performance against objectives
It sits within the ISO Certifications portfolio and shares the common management-system structure with environmental certification such as ISO 14001.
How ABS helps
We prepare you for the certification audit in five steps, tailored to ISO 20121:
- Scope and gap assessment — we agree the scope of your event sustainability management system and assess what you already have against the standard, so you know exactly what to close.
- Implementation — we help you identify your events’ significant sustainability issues and stakeholders, set objectives and plans, and build operational controls over procurement, resources, waste and suppliers.
- Internal audit and management review — we help you run the internal audit and management review the standard requires, so the system has a record of operating before the audit.
- Readiness check — a pre-assessment, approached the way an auditor would approach it, highlights anything still to close.
- Audit support — we support you through the certification body’s Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits and help you close any findings.
Timeline & process
For most organisations, ISO 20121 certification takes around 10–14 weeks, depending on the scale and frequency of events in scope. Each engagement begins with a fixed-price scoping call and a proposal within 24 hours.
Common questions
Who needs ISO 20121?
Event organisers, venues, and the suppliers that serve them — caterers, production companies, exhibition and conference organisers — particularly where clients and sponsors want assurance that an event is delivered sustainably.
Is ISO 20121 up to date?
Yes. ISO 20121 was first published in 2012 and revised in 2024, refreshing it in line with the current ISO management-system structure and contemporary sustainability expectations. Certification is against the current version.
How long does ISO 20121 certification take?
For most organisations, ISO 20121 certification takes around 10–14 weeks, depending on the scale and frequency of events in scope.
What does ABS do, and what does the certification body do?
ABS prepares you for certification: we agree the scope of your event sustainability management system, assess the gaps, help you implement it, support your internal audit and management review, check readiness and support you through the audits. The certification body, an independent, accredited organisation you choose, carries out the Stage 1, Stage 2 and surveillance audits, makes the certification decision and issues the certificate.
How long is an ISO 20121 certificate valid?
Three years. The certification body carries out surveillance audits in the first and second years, and a recertification audit before the three-year cycle ends.
Can ISO 20121 be combined with other standards?
Yes. ISO 20121 shares the harmonised structure of ISO management system standards, so it can run as one integrated management system with, for example, ISO 14001 or ISO 9001, and certification bodies can often audit them together.
