Sustainability/CSR

Is Your Event Certifiably Sustainable?

April 17, 2023

As sustainability continues to gain ground in the meetings industry, several organizations now offer sustainable meeting certificate programs. Here are just a few you may want to check out.

Event Industry Council Sustainable Event Professional Certificate (SEPC). The online version of the program launched in June 2021 as an updated and expanded version of the original in-person SEPC course. The program entails 16 modules covering everything from the business value of sustainability, to making meetings and events more sustainable, to effective methods for achieving corporate social impact goals through events. Those completing the SEPC are eligible for 12 hours of continuing education units toward their CMP application or recertification.
Learn more at eventscouncil.org/sustainability/SEPC

Meeting Professionals International’s Sustainable Event Strategist. Those who undertake this program will learn how to view the event planning process through the lens of sustainability, according to MPI. In addition to teaching the tactical best practices for reducing the environmental impact of your events, the program explores how to create a culture of sustainable decision-making throughout your planning process, from presenting the business case for implementing a sustainability strategy for meetings and events, to implementing event waste and greenhouse gas emissions reduction tactics, to measuring and reporting an event’s sustainability results. Those who finish the program can earn four clock hours toward their CMP.
Learn more at mpi.org/education/certificate-programs/sustainable-event-strategist

Institute for Sustainable Events Sustainable Events Course. ISE offers a Sustainable Events quick-start course. The self-paced, on-demand course includes 20 lessons in six modules that cover sustainability, destination and venue, zero waste, purchasing, climate responsibility and events with a purpose.
Learn more at ise.world/courses

Austrian Ecolabel for Green Meetings and Green Events. Billed as the “first national environmental label which allows the certification of a whole event,” this program is open to professional congress organizers, expo centers, convention bureaus, hotels, and anyone who plans events and meetings. To achieve the label, organizers and venues must comply with all the listed requirements, including those pertaining to environmentally friendly accommodations and procurement practices, material and waste management, catering and exhibition and stand builders.
Learn more at https://www.umweltzeichen.at/en/green-meetings-and-events/home

ISO 20121. While not a certification program per se, the ISO 20121 offers guidance and best practices to help event organizers control the social, economic and environmental impact of holding meetings and events.
Learn more at https://www.iso.org/iso-20121-sustainable-events.html

EventCheck. Offered by Earthcheck, which produces sustainability programs for hotels, destinations, governments, developers and building designers, and events, EventCheck is a sustainability framework event organizers can use to measure and minimize the environmental, social and economic impact of their events. The toolkit, which is aligned to the ISO 20121:2012 “Event Sustainability Management System,” provides customizable tools and templates.
Learn more at https://earthcheck.org/what-we-do/certification/eventcheck/

There also are a number of programs available on the hospitality side, including:

LEED. One of the gold standards for venue sustainability certifications, LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol venues can use to indicate their level of energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, among other criteria. Applicants earn points by adhering to prerequisites and credits that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality. Projects go through a verification and review process by GBCI and are awarded points that correspond to a level of LEED certification: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points) and Platinum (80+ points).
Learn more at usgbc.org/leed

The International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) Green Star Certification. This certification, which is offered free of charge for IACC member venues, requires members to update the status of their adherence to IACC’s Code of Sustainability. This code includes 60 tenets that fall under education, awareness and public declaration; waste management; reuse; water conservation; purchasing; energy management; air quality; and food and beverage.
Learn more at IACConline.org/environmental-initiatives

Green Key Meetings Program. This comprehensive assessment for meeting and event venues was developed in collaboration with MPI to be consistent with the ASTM/APEX Green Meeting Standards for sustainability and performance at the facility level.
Learn more at greenkeyglobal.com/home/green-key-meetings

Academic Sustainable Event Certifications

Yale University’s Green Event Certification. This certification encourages the voluntary sustainable efforts internal Yale event organizers are taking to reduce the environmental, social and financial costs of their events.
Learn more at https://sustainability.yale.edu/take-action/green-certifications

MIT Sustainable Event Certification. This certification was developed to help MIT produce more sustainable events by making smarter choices about food, energy, transportation and materials while planning an event. Similar to the Austrian Ecolabel (see above), this certifies on the event level and is not a certification for individuals.
Learn more at http://sustainability.mit.edu/sustainable-event-certification

UCLA Green Event Certification. Those who plan events for the University of California at Los Angeles campus can earn this certification, as well as a Green Events Seal to display, by completing a Green Events Certification Questionnaire and submitting it to UCLA Zero Waste.
Learn more at https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/green-events/