BS 8901

BS 8901 Sustainable Event Management - What is it?

BS 8901 Sustainable Event Management: Information

Companies are now moving beyond quality and environmental management into Sustainability Management and BS 8901 is the very first standard to specify a sustainable management system for industry. BS 8901 has been designed specifically for the events industry and specifies the requirements for a sustainability management system for events.

The purpose of this new standard is to help the events industry conduct business operations in a more sustainable manner.

BS 8901 shares common management system principles and processes with the ISO 9001 standard on Quality Management and the ISO 14001 standard on Environmental Management. If you already have systems in place to meet either of these standards then you will be well placed to adopt BS 8901. Xpedite ISO consultants have experience of implementing all three of these standards seperately or in an integrated manner.

BS 8901 requires organisations to understand the sustainability issues relevant to their event(s) and to put in place measures to control and minimise these impacts. It requires organisations to aspire to continually improve their sustainability performance in relation to the management of events.

It is foreseeable that many event clients, particularly corporations and local authorities will demand that event organisers, venues and suppliers to the industry adopt the standard. Indeed, the London 2012 Olympics are requiring organisations to be working towards implementation of BS 8901.

BS 8901 follows the common 'plan-do-check-act' approach of many management system standards and defines three phases of event management:

Phase One: Planning - this phase requires an organisation to define its policy and commitment to sustainable development. Stakeholders and sustainability issues are required to be identified and key performance indicators for improved event sustainability are set.

Phase Two: Implementation - this phase requires an organisation to define responsibilities, ensure staff are sufficiently trained and competent and provide sufficient resources to implement and operate its event management system. It also requires it to manage its supply chain.

Phase Three: Check and review - the final phase is about monitoring, measuring and evaluating the event in relation to the management system and the objectives set, and then taking action to continually improve event performance.

The standard requires organisations to:

Designate appropriate responsibilities and provide the necessary resources and training.
Managing the supply chain effectively.
Implementing a communication plan with stakeholders.
Maintain and control documentation and records.
Implement operational control procedures including measuring performance against targets, correcting problems and conducting management system audits and management reviews.

BS 8901 can help:

Companies to improve sustainability performance within available budgets.
Reduces environmental aspects and impacts including carbon emissions and waste, improving the resource efficiency of the entire event supply chain.
Present opportunities for more efficient planning and encourage the re-use of equipment and infrastructure.
Users take stock of the environmental impacts such as carbon footprint, waste management and effects on biodiversity; social impacts such as community involvement and fair employment; and economic impacts such as local investment and long-term viability.

BS 8901 also offers the following commercial benefits:

Provides assurance to stakeholders, customers and anyone else involved that the event has been planned and implemented in a sustainable manner.
Helps differentiate an organisation from its competitors, helping to win new business, improving reputation and brand image.
Improves social interactions such as community involvement and fair employment.
Delivers economic benefits including local investment and long-term viability.

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Having a BS 8901 Sustainable Event Management System provided by Xpedite will make a powerful statement about your organisation's commitment to the environment and greatly enhance your credentials as a socially responsible organisation.