FESPA has been awarded ISO 20121:2012 certification for sustainable event management, an internationally recognised standard for the implementation of an effective and sustainable event management system.
The accreditation awarded to FESPA demonstrates FESPA’s commitment to implementing environmental best practice, minimising environmental impact, increasing commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices and motivating print businesses to take steps towards more sustainable operations.
For ISO certification, FESPA has introduced policies and procedures including waste reduction, energy efficiency, carbon emissions reduction and stakeholder engagement. The scheme has been independently audited by the British Standards Institute accredited awarding body under certificate number SEMS 799937 and confirms that FESPA provides world-class sustainable event management services to its exhibitors and visitors.
Neil Felton, CEO of FESPA, comments: “We are delighted to have achieved ISO 20121:2012 certification, which demonstrates our commitment to delivering environmentally friendly events and the need for the sectors we represent to make continuous progress in the area of sustainability. Our team recognises the importance of delivering our events in a way that provides exceptional value to our attendees and exhibitors, whilst prioritising environmental responsibility and community engagement. We look forward to running our events in 2025 in accordance with the Certified Sustainable Event Management System and hope that our example will inspire our community to look for ways to optimise their sustainability performance.”
The following commitments form the basis of FESPA’s sustainability goals as part of the certification:
Planning: sustainability plays a key role and is considered throughout event management decision making.
Environment: Avoiding negative impacts such as pollution by prioritising products and services that are sustainable.
Transport: As far as possible, transport requirements are reduced or transport times are shortened.
Packaging: The obligation to reduce or avoid packaging as far as possible and to use reusable or recycled packaging.
Product criteria: Investigating the origin and manufacturing process of key products to identify processes, ingredients or parts that have a negative impact on the environment. Find alternatives and ensure that these can be disposed of within the sustainability guidelines.
Procurement criteria: Commitment to responsible, sustainable procurement practices and ensuring that established purchasing criteria are met.
Social: A commitment to working with companies that share FESPA’s values in relation to the treatment of their employees. Also considering local communities when planning and organising events.
Energy: Commitment to improve energy use, consumption and efficiency and, where possible, to use energy from renewable sources.
Hazardous products: A commitment to avoid the use of hazardous products as far as possible. If this is unavoidable, follow the guidelines of the UK COSHH regulations and ensure that the use of hazardous products is monitored and used in a controlled environment.
Health and safety in the workplace: Responsible management of all aspects of health and safety in the workplace.
FESPA
FESPA is a federation of trade associations founded in 1962 and organises exhibitions and conferences for the screen and digital printing industries. FESPA’s twin aims are to promote screen printing and digital imaging and to share knowledge of screen and digital printing among its members around the world to help them expand their businesses and keep them informed of the latest developments in their fast-growing industries.
The British Standards Institute audited and endorsed certificate that FESPA provides world-class sustainable event management services.
