ISO 20121 wins at Eurovision

Nobody ever suggested that turning the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, which brought more than 100 000 visitors to the city of Malmö (Sweden), into a sustainable event would be simple.

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Making Eurovision sustainable was no easy feat. There are food and beverages to consider, transport, energy, waste disposal and much more. But Susanna Winblad, a project manager for the City of Malmö, took on the challenge, armed with just ISO 20121 and the belief that doing the right thing should be easy. The result : a positive and inspiring experience. Here she shares with us her tips, lessons learned and other useful titbits.

ISOfocus : Why did Eurovision decide to use ISO 20121 ?

Susanna : We felt that it was an opportunity for the City of Malmö to enhance its profile as a green destination. The standard was a tool that would help us highlight sustainability issues in our communication with partners and procurement services.

Can you describe some of the initiatives taken ?

In Malmö we believe that doing the right thing should be easy, so we made acting sustainably stress-free for participants and staff with the following initiatives :

  • Transport that flows : we ensured free and easy public transportation for all delegates and the press, and encouraged visitors to take the train to the arena.
  • Ecolicious food : we served, recommended and promoted ecological and locally produced food.
  • Tippy tap water : we handed out refillable bottles to press and delegates, and made sure water taps were easily available in key locations
  • Recycle it : we made recycling easy for participants.
  • Education : we taught all volunteers (550 persons) about sustainability and how to become role models

What did you find to be the biggest challenge ?

It was hard to think of measurable goals when defining social and economic sustainability.

How many staff worked on the project?

I worked full time during the project and had an assistance who worked 20% on implementation.

What were the main results and impacts ?

I have not yet finished working it out, but here are a few examples :

  • Implementation of a new ticket system for public transport that helped avoid long queues and hassle
  • Development of a new recycling system for events, which we plan to re-use in the future
  • 80 000 cups of ecological and fair-trade coffee served
  • Use of refillable tap-water bottles, which have 1 000 times less impact on the environment than factory-bottled water.

Do you have any tips or advice for ISO 20121 users ?

Communication with all those involved is very important. And keep abreast of tasks delegated to others in the organization, for sustainability must always remain a core value in the project. Above all, don't aim too high, and celebrate your success!

Susanna Winblad
Project Manager
City of Malmö, Sweden

Maria Lazarte
Maria Lazarte

Контактные данные для СМИ

press@iso.org

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