Dallas-based Freeman, which annually produces more than 4,300 expositions and 11,000 corporate and special events, has earned the international Event Sustainability Management certification, ISO 20121.
The certification, published by the International Organization for Standardization in 2012, is focused on making sustainability part of the standard management practices of organizations that orchestrate events. The ISO standard certifies that an organization’s management system complies with environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainable development, and it requires the organization to integrate sustainability into all stages of planning and throughout the supply chain.
ISO 20121 also requires organizations to work toward continual improvement, and to address that Freeman has announced a plan to adopt the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX)/American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Green Meeting Standards. Freeman’s goal is to certify five of its major offices per year over the next several years to five of the APEX/ASTM standards: exhibits, audiovisual, communications, transportation, and on-site office.
“Environmental and social responsibility has always been at the heart of Freeman and guides our business,” said Jeff Chase, Freeman’s vice president of sustainability, who led the certification effort. Earning ISO 20121, said Chase, “reflects the philosophy of our founder, Buck Freeman, and is a tribute to the over 7,000 employees who strive to create sustainable events for our clients.”
