IRCA INform

BS 8901: creating

sustainable events

Catherine Golds looks at BS 8901, the standard for sustainable event management systems

The 2012 London Olympics is on the horizon, and as one of the biggest and most prestigious sporting events in the world, it not only brings with it a glimmer of economic prosperity, but also intense environmental and sustainable scrutiny. The committee organizing the London games has already stated that it will encourage suppliers and licencees to the games to be BS 8901 compliant. The Olympics may be just the key to driving the standard forward in the UK.

BS 8901 provides guidance for oganizing sustainable events and shares common management principles with quality and environmental standards ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. While it was not developed in isolation, BS 8901 cannot be directly compared to other environmental standards.

It has already become a prerequisite for many large event management tenders in the UK, as the standard provides event organizers and individuals with a core framework to improve the environmental management of the events they stage. It is applicable to the entire event lifecycle from planning through to implementation, including all products and services involved. BS 8901 specifies guidance for use and is applicable to organizations of all sizes involved with the design and delivery of the events.

Although BS 8901 is specified for a narrow sector, it has a wide scope. By introducing additional concepts such as sustainability objectives, health and safety measures and social concerns, the standard is tailored for event management.

Sustainabile events

As a descendant of BS 8900, the standard that provided guidance for managing sustainable development, BS 8901 addresses the specific concerns of the event industry. It demonstrates performance measures regarding the impact of an event on society. The sustainable management system enables an organization to establish and monitor procedures, set organizational objectives and demonstrate conformance. It also allows event managers to track their sustainability and benchmark their progress.

An organization involved in the delivery of events, who opts to improve sustainability by using this standard, must establish, document and maintain a sustainable management system in accordance with the standard. By taking an evidence-based approach and looking at their own purpose, organizations are also able to produce policies to support their individual management system and processes. Therefore, if two organizations of different sizes are arranging similar events, each may have different measures, yet still meet the requirements of the standard.

BS 8901 addresses the environmental, economic and social concerns felt throughout the event industry supply chain. The standard enables event organizations to manage the impact on their surroundings by focusing on issues such as reducing carbon emissions and waste, improving resource efficiency, and investment within the local community.

As organizations are continually looking for ways to improve sustainable performance within available budgets, it goes without saying that certified companies have a competitive advantage over those that don’t have sustainable processes in place. With the ever-increasing demand for environmental and sustainable consideration, more and more businesses are beginning to scrutinize their supply chain. If two companies are tendering for the same contract – one company certified to a sustainable standard and the other claiming to be – it is more than likely that the job will go to the company that is able to provide independent evidence of its sustainable credentials.

Auditing process

BS 8901 is audited in the same way as other standards. An organization is audited against the requirements of the standard, ensuring that its management system is in line with these requirements, whilst reflecting the needs of both the organization and the event. Outcomes and opportunities for improvement following the audit are then communicated to top level management.

Auditors are required to use their knowledge and skills to ensure that the client operates within the standard requirements, while gaining benefit from both the audit process and the operation of the sustainability management system, in terms of the improvements and commitments that they have made.

About the author

Catherine Golds is head of the National Quality Association. She has held positions at the Ministry of Defence and the Environment Agency and regularly speaks and writes on quality, environmental and health and safety issues.

 

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