On Thursday, Jean-François Martins and Antoinette Guhl, Deputy Mayors of Paris, will receive from Fabrice Egloff, President of SGS France the ISO 20121 certification. It acknowledges the work of the City of Paris in the eco-design and eco-management of UEFA EURO 2016.
The ISO 20121 certification was first established for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. It is currently the most demanding standard in terms of sustainable development for the organisation of an event.
It confirms that the City of Paris and its Mission Major International Sports Events (French Directorate of Youth and Sports) respected the 4 main issues they had set in the organisation of UEFA EURO 2016:
- Improve social acceptability in the hosting of major international sports events - Favour the inclusion of all Parisians during the competition - Minimise the environmental footprint of the event - Demonstrate its capacity of responsible innovation through solutions for future events and the city of tomorrow.
« SGS’ choice for this major event for France confirms that we are a partner of choice to evaluate our clients’ commitment in providing services or products that respect the highest standards in terms of quality and environmental, social and societal performance. This referent position led us to certify many of our great events (London and Rio Olympic Games, Roland-Garros French Open etc.) and enable our clients to benefit from a local savoir-faire and global expertise”, explained Fabrice Egloff, President of SGS France, in charge of the certification.
In total, more than 150 actions have been carried out to achieve these goals, at once around employment, the promotion of sports for everyone, waste recovery, the eco-construction of several structures (including the Paris Sports Parc), the mobilisation of Parisians associations and start-ups, or even having a legacy for the community. The ISO 20121 certification is in accordance with the eco-responsible events Charter, adopted in 2015 by the Council of Paris. While Paris will host the Climbing World Championships in September 2016, the World Handball Championship in January 2017 and the World Wrestling Championship in August 2017, this certification should enable to be a part of a sustainable environmental logic.
“This certificate rewards the heritage we leave to the City of Paris by organising major international sports events as the Euro championship. This sports, touristic, but also social and environmental heritage will benefit all Parisians for a long time”, appreciated Jean-François Martins, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Sport and Tourism.