Falun World Championships Gain ISO Certification for Sustainability

On the heels of the leaked UN climate report outlining the imminent affects of manmade climate change, the organizers of the 2015 FIS Nordic World Championships in Falun, Sweden announced August 27 that the culminating event of the 2014/2015 ski season has received the ISO 20121 certification of sustainability.

Falun2015 will be the first FIS Nordic World Championship to receive designation in the certification’s history.

What is ISO 20121? According to the certification’s website, “the ISO 20121 is a management system standard that has been designed to help organizations in the events industry improve the sustainability of their event related activities, products and services.”

While the certification stresses the importance environmental friendliness, the requirements to receive the designation go far beyond being “green.”

Based on the sustainability plan for the 2012 London Olympics, the ISO 20121 promotes sustainability through financial stability, social responsibility, and a reduced environmental footprint.

For an event such as Falun2015, organizers must submit a plan that demonstrates strong financial, social, and environmental standards.

Falun2015 made the cut.

As organizers continue to prepare Falun for one of nordic skiing’s biggest events, the certification will help guide them in a sustainable fashion.

“The standard helps us set clear environmental and ethical requirements on the handling of transportation, waste and energy. But it also assists us in the management of other products and services, such as food and beverages. It is important that our suppliers and cooperation partners also follow our policy for sustainability,” Sven von Holst, CEO of Falun2015 said in a press release.

The SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden estimates that roughly 500 million will tune into the 2015 FIS Nordic World Championships and that 200,000 people will attend the event.

According to the institute, the large audience means that Falun2015 has a chance to have large impact in terms of its ability to spread awareness about sustainability.

The ISO 20121 website says that the main benefit of the certification is that “it will enable an organization to differentiate itself in the marketplace and hence improve their chance of winning new business.” 

The 2015 FIS Nordic World Championships will take place from February 18 through March 1 and will feature ten days of cross country skiing, seven days of ski jumping, and four days of nordic combined competitions.