BS8901 - Real Results

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Permalink Reply by Andrew Williams on July 16, 2009 at 11:35

I have a feeling that Mike and I broadly agree on most things sustainable, but as always it's the small differences that make life interesting! At Seventeen we've been big fans (and vocal ambassadors) of BS8901 since we were involved in the trial in 2007. For us, it's not the be all and end all, and I would never say it is the absolute definition of perfection, but crucially - it's a start. Whatever system you use to manage anything you can always cut corners, but the value to any individual business will be to commit to a sustainable way of working. If you then want to use BS8901 as a framework I believe it will help you.

Practical example - as part of our BS8901 compliance to a recent event we tried to analyse what we could do to reduce the impact of transport when dealing with entries to an awards project. We ended up commissioning an online system which a) paid for itself in year one, b) saved a huge amount of CO2 in terms of deliveries and couriers and c) saved the entrants a total of £12k, thus encouraging more entries in these troubled times.

So to quote Talk Talk, "Life's What You Make It" - any business which genuinely wants to be more sustainable will find BS8901 useful (in my opinion) anyone who wants a quick fix should stick to offsetting or whatever. As always - our business at Seventeen is founded on transparency and I'm happy to discuss our approach, methodology, systems, etc with anyone who's interested.

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Permalink Reply by Lee Holloway on July 16, 2009 at 11:44

This is an extremely good question and important to address if the industry is to continue taking sustainability management seriously.

I helped to achieve independent certification (ie successfully audited by BSI) to 8901 for SMS Group last year.

If the standard is implemented in the spirit that its intended there are two key clauses that make all the difference:

1. That the enviro/social areas you decide to improve are a result of wide consultation with your customers, suppliers, staff, peers and other groups who may be affected by your event/work. Evidence is needed of this consultation and subsequent consideration, or risk assessment, process to prove that you are not just tackling cosmetic changes.

2. That continual certification/compliance to the standard demands achieving better improvement targets event by event or year by year. By this auditors will not only want to see better numbers for direct performance but also evidence of the pressure you put on your supply chain to support your improvement goals and improve their own performance.

Effectively BS8901 is simply a management system, much like the HSE's HSG65 - the actual real-life difference it makes to human, environmental and social impact depends on the integrity in which its implemented.

I would be interested to see if there are any success stories out there...ie organisers with some tangible, measured improvements achieved through their uptake of 8901?

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Permalink Reply by Mike Bell on July 16, 2009 at 11:45

Good work Andrew on changing the practice of dreaded entry bulk deliveries - having sat as a judge on a number of industry awards, and worked my way through the piles of submission materials. I wholeheartedly support all moves to e-entries. I have seen the work Seventeen Events have produced, and their commitment to the process is REAL. However, it is where else that commitment lies in the entire marketplace - it cannot be a hotspot for evangelists.

I work with many agencies now and recognise the INCREASED pressures that they are all under to deliver effectively, on budget, in time and profitably. As a designer I am endeavouring to explore, establish and educate on materials, but as a freelance designer I feel alone. Much of my work is completely compromised by budget from the outset. I am not saying green costs more money - but it does have an added expense - compromise beyond cost.

I am in the process of designing a range of 3D experiences and events - they are new pieces of business. However, in my own time, I will also approach the specifications as 'entirely' green... I will post the results here at a later stage and would welcome feedback on just how acceptable these compromises are to the industry.

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Permalink Reply by Charlie Banks on August 4, 2009 at 15:30

Hi all,

The event company I work for is seeing a genuine interest and implementation of BS8901 in its client base. I'm sure in this industry some see 8901 as an easy option to be able to 'up' thier green credientials - but those who are serious are making real changes in thier way of working and are seeing real benefits. If companies aren't prepared to change their way of working and invest a little bit more extra time (not necessarily more money) in to sustainability then they may find themselves playing catch up in the future to those than can.

I would point you towards the BSI website for case studies.
Also, the standard is still young and so alot of companies are benchmarking in order to set targets for future events. It's worth noting that the standard is on the journey to becoming an ISO and so personally i see this as confirmation that the standard works.

cheers

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