Montpellier embraces ISO 20121 to offer more responsible events

Article dated February 6, 2023 updated May 23, 2024

Conventions, trade fairs, seminars, festivals, sporting events… All these events are a testament to the vitality of a region. Their deprogramming during the covid-19 pandemic showed the extent to which they generate an effervescence essential to individual fulfillment and collective progress. But these events also have a direct impact on our environment: waste production, carbon-intensive travel, energy consumption, disturbance of the natural environment, and so on. It’s a challenge that local authorities want to control more effectively.

Which instructions to use? The voluntary ISO 20121 standard

The concept of a responsible event aims to minimize this impact, not only in terms of ecology, but also in other areas of CSR, including social issues. And to explain how to do it, there’s an instruction manual: the voluntary ISO 20121 standard , which sets the standard worldwide. Event organizers who claim to follow it to the letter can have it certified, and thus highlight their virtuous commitment. This is the case of SPL Occitanie Events, a local public company based in Montpellier, which both organizes events and manages hosting infrastructures (Montpellier Exhibition Centre, Sud de France Arena), and to this end holds AFAQ ISO 20121 certification .

The two sites host 150 events and 700,000 visitors every year. ” Our company was created in 2019 and we wanted to assert a strong environmental conscience from the outset. Affirm it, and implement it, beyond declarations of intent. After all, a company is not just about human and material resources, but above all about its commitment to and responsibility for the region in which it operates. “explains Hélène Brunier, SPL’s Director of Strategic Projects, Marketing and Communications.

ISO 20121 certification: continuous improvement of practices

Let’s dwell for a moment on the ” declarations of intent ” referred to by Hélène Brunier. And therein lies the risk of such an approach: contenting oneself with announcement effects and a lick of green paint to restore the credibility of projects that have suffered bad buzz. Recent major sporting events have fallen into this trap, motivating the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to launch an update of the standard. A new version was thus released in May 2024, with a strong contribution from French players including those of Union française des métiers de l’événement (Unimev), updating the initial 2012 version. However, this is still the one used as a reference for the certification audit that SPL underwent here.

Initiated in January 2021, Occitanie Events’ approach shows that a regional player can largely compete with the world’s major events, and above all, demonstrate continuous, concrete and sincere improvement in practices, as concluded by the follow-up audit conducted at the end of 2022. Part of the audit was carried out on site as part of Art’ Montpellier, the Mediterranean contemporary arts fair, in November. “We had the motivation, but we needed a formalized approach to structure our concrete actions and involve our teams as well as all our stakeholders, in particular our suppliers: stand builders, caterers, cleaning companies, etc., ” continues Hélène Brunier. Decompartmentalize, federate and perpetuate: this is the philosophy behind the ISO 20121 standard for the events business.

Fifteen challenges identified by SPL Occitanie Events in Montpellier

SPL is working on a total of 15 issues, including 4 priorities, with a five-year timeframe. After instituting measures to sort and reduce waste and food wastage, SPL has now taken on a new challenge: that of local biodiversity. A student at the University of Montpellier has carried out an inventory of the flora and fauna, listing over 250 species. This reference document will show how new measures within the complexes will be kind to nature, such as shorter outdoor lighting hours and a more ecosystem-friendly maintenance schedule for green spaces.

As we can see from this new aspect, which did not exist at the outset, a certification process must be based on continuous improvement. ” The auditor who worked with us was very proactive, pointing out new areas for improvement at each follow-up audit. The process has brought us nothing but benefits “appreciates Hélène Brunier. In fact, ISO 20121 certification makes it possible to reduce the risks to people and the environment, better allocate company resources and meet the expectations of the public, which is increasingly aware of the challenges of sustainable development.

Apply for AFAQ ISO 20121 certification

 

 

Photo caption: The SPL Occitanie Events team during a waste collection day for Project Rescue Ocean, in April 2022. (©Hélène Brunier/SPL)