The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s efforts to improve the sustainability performance across its corporate events has resulted in it receiving certification to the international standard ISO 20121:2012. ISO 20121:2012 is an international standard for sustainability management systems applied to events, pioneered by the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games London 2012. It assesses the way sustainability is integrated into key decisions at every step of event planning and staging. The IOC’s corporate events, which were subject to the certification process, include the IOC Sessions, commission meetings, Olympic Day events, the International Athletes’ Forum and other conferences. “We are very proud to have received the ISO 20121 certification,” says IOC director for corporate and sustainable development, Marie Sallois. “It recognises our efforts to manage the social, economic and environmental impact of our corporate events. We hope this recognition will inspire other organisations within the Olympic Movement, as we strive to make the sports world more sustainable.” The IOC’s ISO 20121 certification audit was conducted in November 2022 and is effective for three years, with annual validation audits planned. The current sustainability objectives for IOC corporate events, which reflect the priorities of the IOC’s sustainability strategy, include:
- Preventing waste and maximising reuse and recycling. For example, by avoiding single-use plastics, renting equipment locally as much as possible, designing menus that reduce food waste and producing biogas and compost from food waste.
- Incorporating environmental and social responsibility criteria when making purchases.
- Encouraging the use of public and group transport by participants
Paris 2024, which received the ISO 20121 certification in 2022, will be another milestone in the evolution of the system. ISO 20121 is currently under revision and will be updated to reflect the growing possibilities of the events industry to become more sustainable and the increasing expectations from the public. Paris 2024 will pioneer the application of the revised standard. Sustainability is a key element of the IOC’s strategic roadmap, Olympic Agenda 2020+5. In line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the IOC has committed to reducing its direct and indirect emissions by 50% by 2030. It will compensate more than the remaining emissions through its Olympic Forest project. From 2030, all Olympic Games will be contractually obliged to minimise their carbon emissions and compensate more than 100% of their residual emissions. Paris 2024 will be the first Olympic Games aligned with the Paris Agreement, with emissions expected to halve compared to previous Olympic Games editions.
