Fon Mathuros, Head of Media, World Economic Forum: Tel.: +41 (0)79 201 0211; Email: fma@weforum.org
· World Economic Forum obtains independent recognition for sustainable event management of its Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters through ISO 20121 certification
· Following external audits by DNVGL, the Forum received the ISO 20121:2012 certification
· The 48th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting took place on 23-26 January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland
Davos, Switzerland, 26 January 2018 – The World Economic Forum announced today that it has received ISO 20121:2012 certification for the sustainable planning and operation of its Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters from DNVGL, an external certification body.
ISO 20121 provides a framework for identifying and managing the key social, economic and environmental impacts of events. Through improved processes, it enables event organizers to implement practical sustainability actions. The standard takes the ISO management systems approach familiar to thousands of organizations worldwide but tailored for the specific context of event management.
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said: “The Forum's philosophy has always been to answer global challenges in the context of our own meetings. I am proud that we have achieved certification to ISO 20121 because of the rigorous and comprehensive process involved.”
Alois Zwinggi, Member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum, said: “For us, it is essential that we have effective processes in place to reduce our event footprint and that there are real practical efforts to improve the sustainability performance during the Annual Meeting. Sustainability is a long-term commitment and we will continually seek ways to improve how we manage our resources, engage with stakeholders and assess our progress.”
PublicisLive, the Forum’s official provider of logistics and key support services, has also achieved the ISO 20121 certification for the planning and delivery of the events it manages. This longstanding partnership to deliver more sustainable solutions for the Annual Meeting amplifies what both organizations have been able to achieve.
Sustainability measures implemented by the Forum include: carbon compensation for all air travel by staff, media and participants; efforts to promote sustainable transport in Davos (walking, public bus, shuttle service, fleet, including hybrid vehicles); energy-efficiency efforts (LED lighting, sourcing of renewable electricity, insulation and pellet heating of external constructions); resource and waste-management programme fostering waste reduction and recycling; strong dialogue with local communities; greater public engagement via initiatives such as the Open Forum; improved internal sourcing and compliance processes; fair employment practices; and promotion of staff well-being.
The World Economic Forum’s 48th Annual Meeting took place on 23-26 January 2018 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. Three thousand leaders from around the world gathered in a collaborative effort to shape the global, regional and industry agendas, focusing on the theme, Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World.
Notes to editors:
Read our blogs: http://wef.ch/agenda
Watch Annual Meeting sessions: http://wef.ch/live or http://wef.ch/youtube
Access our photo archive: http://wef.ch/pics
Become a Facebook fan: http://wef.ch/facebook
Follow us on Twitter: http://wef.ch/twitter and http://wef.ch/livetweet (hashtag #WEF)
Follow us on Weibo: http://t.sina.com.cn/davos
Find us on WeChat: davos_wef