Sustainable event standards: what an organiser commits to
What the Events Industry Council's Sustainable Event Standards cover for an organiser, how audits work, and how supplier choices show criteria were met.
By Achekam · · 4 min read · For Events businesses in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya
A corporate client or an international association may put a pointed question in its brief: how will this event meet our sustainability commitments? A list of good intentions, such as reusable lanyards and no plastic bottles, is no longer enough for some of them. They want to know which standard the organiser works to, and how it can show that it did what it said.
The Events Industry Council (EIC) publishes a set of Sustainable Event Standards, with independent verification, that gives that question a structured answer. This article explains what the standards cover for an event organiser, how certification and audits work, and how an organiser's supplier choices and budgets can show the criteria were met.
Eight standards, one of them for organisers
The EIC's Sustainable Event Standards are eight separate standards, each for a different part of the industry:
- Accommodation
- Audio Visual & Production
- Destination
- Event Organiser
- Exhibition Services
- Food & Beverage
- Integrated Property
- Venue
Compliance is verified by a third party. The standards replaced the former APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meeting Standards.
The Event Organiser standard is the one that applies to an organiser's own work. The others apply to the venues, caterers, AV companies and hotels it hires. That division matters: an organiser can meet its own standard while relying on suppliers who meet theirs, and a client may ask about both. The EIC's page on its Sustainable Event Standards describes the eight standards, how they are verified and the certification levels. A venue's view of the same scheme is covered in EIC sustainable venue certification.
What the criteria cover
According to the EIC, each standard has criteria covering:
| Criteria area | What it can mean for an organiser |
|---|---|
| Organisational management | A sustainability policy, named responsibilities, training |
| Marketing, communications and engagement | Telling delegates and sponsors what the event is doing, and asking them to take part |
| Climate action | Measuring and reducing emissions from travel, energy and logistics |
| Water management | Working with venues on water use |
| Materials and circularity | Reducing printed material, reusing signage and set elements |
| Supply chain management | Choosing suppliers against sustainability criteria |
| Diversity, equity and inclusion | Speaker line-ups, hiring and supplier choices |
| Accessibility and social impact | Access for delegates with disabilities, local community benefit |
The right-hand column is an organiser's reading of each area, not the EIC's wording; the detailed criteria are in the standard itself.
Certification levels, audits and fees
The EIC awards certification at four levels, based on the percentage of criteria achieved against the maximum points for each sector. Its update to the standards also added a Foundations Level, an Integrated Property standard for properties that offer accommodation, venue and food and beverage together, and a clearer division of responsibilities between event organisers and their suppliers.
Under the updated standards, suppliers face a comprehensive audit in the first and fourth years, and surveillance audits on fewer criteria in the second and third years. Certification fees depend on the complexity of the audit and on the size of the organisation or event.
For a smaller events company in South Africa, Nigeria or Kenya, that means:
- Budget for the cost of certification and the time the audits take, not only the fee.
- Plan the comprehensive audit years carefully, since they cover the full criteria.
- Keep evidence continuously, rather than reconstructing it before each audit.
Recording why a supplier was chosen
Supply chain management is where an organiser's own records matter most. If the organiser chooses a caterer because it sources locally and minimises waste, rather than because it was cheapest, an auditor and a client will want to see that the choice was deliberate.
In Achekam, supplier quotations are captured against a requisition and one is selected. Choosing one that is not the cheapest needs a written reason, which is kept. That reason is the kind of evidence the supply chain criteria look for, so write it plainly and specifically, such as "Selected because it sources produce locally and offers reusable crockery; cheaper quote used disposable ware." A quotation can also be disqualified with a reason, for example a supplier that could not show any sustainability practice.
All of this works from one supplier list. A business keeps a single supplier list with duplicate checks by name or VAT number, and quotations, orders and bills pick suppliers from it. Keeping track of which suppliers hold their own EIC standard, or meet your criteria, is easier when there is only one record per supplier.
Watching committed supplier spend against the event budget
Sustainable choices sometimes cost more, and an organiser needs to see the effect on the event's budget before the invoices arrive. In Achekam, approved purchase orders count as committed spend against budgets per expense account and period. The screen shows budget, spent, committed and available for each line, and flags over-committed lines without blocking a purchase.
A worked example in words: the organiser approves an order for reusable staging from a supplier that is more expensive than the usual hire company. The production budget line immediately shows the higher committed amount and a smaller available balance. The event manager can then decide, before signing anything else, whether to save elsewhere, such as on printed material, which also serves the materials and circularity criteria. Committed vendor spend explains how commitments build up across an event.
Before the next client brief that asks about sustainability, read the Event Organiser standard, list the criteria your current events already meet, and start recording a reason with every supplier choice.
General guidance only, not advice on your own circumstances. Tax and payroll rules change: check the current position with the authority or your adviser.
