2025 Registrant Impact | Supporting the IMF to achieve ISO 20121

Supporting the IMF to achieve ISO 20121

In 2023 we were approached by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC to support the Secretary and Events Team to achieve ISO 20121 – the International Standard for Sustainable Events for the annual spring and autumn meetings. These events accommodate up to 13,000 delegates from over 190 countries.  

The events provide a range of services, including security, catering, VIP management, transport, AV services and ticketing. Under the ISO 20121 standard, event sustainability processes need to be audited before achieving certification from an external party.  

We began with a gap analysis to identify key areas already meeting the standard, and those not. Once completed, we provided Internal Auditor training and consultancy on the system implementation and documentation required. 

Improvements included: 

• sourcing bamboo promotional materials  

• providing note books made from apple peel 

• measuring all the food waste to calculate the carbon footprint 

• recycling more waste streams including shrink wrap, which are now collected in house, baled up and recycled.  
• carbon savings (confidential). 

As a result, in 2024 the IMF achieved the certification via BSI USA. Since this time Crowberry Consulting has continued its support and provided additional training in 2025 – most recently supporting the transition to the latest version of ISO 20121.  

Being a Chartered Environmentalist has been essential to open doors that otherwise I may not have accessed. As sustainability grows, I encourage any professional in this space to work towards CEnv status, as the benefits to yourself and your clients are huge.