Dallas, TX – Freeman, the leading global provider of brand experiences, announced Monday that it has received the ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System certification, the first in its industry to do so on a global scale.
“Environmental and social responsibility has always been the heart of Freeman and guides our business,” said Jeff Chase, Vice President of Sustainability for Freeman, which is based in Dallas. Chase oversees the company’s sustainability initiatives and led the certification effort.
“This certification—an industry first—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,” said Chase. Freeman’s clients include McDonald’s, Microsoft and Texas Instruments.
The certification is an international standard designed to help organizations involved in event and hospitality industries integrate sustainability into management practices and processes.
Freeman’s plan to meet the ISO certification requirement focuses on driving sustainability deeper throughout the organization by adopting the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX)/American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Green Meeting Standards for its major business locations and functions.
To meet ISO’s continual improvement goal, Freeman plans to certify five major offices per year during the next several years to five APEX/ASTM standards – Exhibits, Audio Visual, Communications, Transportation and On-site Office. In a statement, officials said, “The “5/5 Plan” is intended to ensure that all of the company’s major office locations worldwide are well-positioned to offer clients best practices to help them meet their sustainability goals.”
ISO International Standards ensure that products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality. They are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimizing waste and errors and increasing productivity. The Central Secretariat of ISO is based in Geneva, Switzerland. First introduced during the Summer Olympics in London, ISO 20121 provides management blueprint to address the “triple bottom line” of sustainability—economic, environmental and social impact of events.
Freeman, a family and employee-owned company produces more than 4,300 expositions annually and 12,500 other events worldwide.
Reach Jeff Chase at (415) 655-2204 or Jeff.Chase@freemanco.com
