PRESS RELEASE
14 May 2009
BS 8901, the British Standard that took the events industry by storm when it was launched in 2007, has been revised, taking on board feedback from users. BSI is calling for comments on the draft version, available until 31 May 2009 at www.bsigroup.com/drafts
BS 8901, which was originally developed at the behest of the events industry, provides organizations with the requirements for planning and managing an event using a sustainability management system. ‘Sustainability’ refers to the economic, environmental and social aspects of an event. This standard could encourage events organizers to take into account considerations such as climate change, the protection of historic sites and investment in local skills.
BSI is co-ordinating a revision of the standard in response to the experience of events organizations in implementing the first edition. In particular, the revised draft of BS 8901 has been made easier to implement and audit for certification.
To claim compliance with the standard an organization must define and implement its sustainability policy, monitor and evaluate the event against key performance indicators and eventually review the event, feeding conclusions back into the policy to positively affect future events. It is possible for an organization to claim compliance with the standard itself and several organizations, including BSI, now offer independent verification of compliance to BS 8901.
BS 8901 has been used by many UK organizations such as Manchester International Festival, Lord’s Cricket Ground and Earls Court & Olympia. It is currently being used by London 2012 as part of their approach to sustainability, and Microsoft Corporation has recently achieved certification to the standard in the US.
Mike Low, Director, Standards, BSI, said: “BS 8901 has proved a very successful standard for the events industry, first in the UK and more recently, around the world. To ensure that the standard continues to be relevant we are now asking events practitioners to review and comment on the draft standard.”
For more information on BS 8901 visit www.bsigroup.com/BS8901.
To comment on the revised draft version visit www.bsigroup.com/drafts.
Free BS 8901 Workshop
Find out more about implementing BS 8901 in your organization at an Understanding BS 8901 Workshop run by BSI and Positive Impact as part of the London 2012 Inspire Programme. This free event will take place in London on 24 June 2009. For more information and to register, visit www.positiveimpactevents.co.uk .
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Notes to Editors
For media enquiries:
Lucy Fulton
Public Relations Officer, BSI
Tel: +44 (0)20 8996 7248
Mob: +44 (0)7717 451 990
Email: lucy.fulton@bsigroup.com
Website: www.bsigroup.com
About BSI Group
BSI Group is a global independent business services organization that inspires confidence and delivers assurance to over 80,000 customers with standards-based solutions. Originating as the world’s first national standards body, the Group has over 2,400 staff operating in over 120 countries through more than 50 global offices. The Group’s key offerings are:
• The development and sale of private, national and international standards and supporting information
• Second and third-party management systems assessment and certification
• Product testing and certification of services and products
• Performance management software solutions
• Training services in support of standards implementation and business best practice.
For further information please visit www.bsigroup.com.
