Positive Impact submits a Pathway for Accelerated Solution to Net Zero Activation Group

The Net Zero Activation Group requested ideas for Pathways to accelerate solutions to reach net zero. Positive Impact submitted a PAS related to ISO 20121:2024 and began to participate on the Net Zero Standards Policy group.

The Race to Zero enters its next stage

From summer 2026 The Race to Zero began to transition from a campaign of pledges and reporting to the Net Zero Activation Group

Participating with Olympism 365 at The Spot Conference

In 2025 Positive Impact joined Olympism 365 Tech 365 with two innovative tech platform: The Pavilion for People and Converii

In May 2026 Positive Impact joined Beyond Sport, Women Win, All for Sport Consortium and Women Emerging at The Spot Lausanne to deliver a panel session on innovating for impact.

Participating in Maloca at COP30

The Pavilion for People is experiment around how we can connect and collaborate.

On November 10th 2025, The Pavilion for People was invited to participate in Maloca, an initiative from COP30 Presidency in Brazil and UNDP. This webinar captures the 'real life' moment, introduces how The Pavilion for People works, demonstrates the Maloca experience and explores the future for human connection alongside major events like COP. This is not a perfect pre-planned webinar; it is a reaction to a moment in time.

Advancing sustainability with Event Industry Finland and ISO 20121:2024

In partnership with Event Industry Finland, Positive Impact designed and delivered a fully funded, one-year ISO 20121:2024 training programme.

The initiative invited 10 leading organisations in Finland to participate and implement event sustainability management practices across their operations.

This programme not only provided practical tools and knowledge but also showcased Finland’s leadership in sustainable events on a global stage.

Connecting stories and communities alongside COP30

The Pavilion for People is an experiment in human connection without any barriers to participation so everyone can speak, connect and collaborate. The majority of mega events are starting to understand the importance of connecting with those who can not physically be present and The Pavilion for People is proud to be inspiring this trend.

However the way to connect with remote audience continues to be controlled. For example people can request to contribute and the event organisers will decide who is successful or people are only able to listen to content from the event.

During COP30, there will be a Maloca where chosen groups can speak and visitors can listen. The Pavilion for People has been chosen to deliver a session within Maloca, an initiative launched by the COP30 presidency.

Some of the other activities in The Pavilion for People alongside COP30 will include: meditations for the planet, art experiences, conversations with those in Belem, interviews with scientists on research projects and more.

Being recognised as impact makers

The Pavilion for People’s innovative approach is being recognised, for example by the High-Level Climate Champions.

These are individuals appointed by each COP President to mobilize voluntary climate action from businesses, cities, and regions to support the goals of the Paris Agreement. Working closely with the UNFCCC and the COP presidency, they act as a liaison between governments and non-state actors.

Their Impact Makers Campaign highlights The Pavilion for People and its CEO Fiona Pelham

Contributing to the Tech365 manifesto for the IOC’s Olympism365 Innovation Hub

Positive Impact contributed to the Tech365 manifesto for the International Olympic Committee Olympism365 programme (which exists to strengthen the role of sport as an enabler for the UN SDGs).

Collaborating with Cerespo in the Japanese event sector

For almost 15 years, Cerespo’s partnership with Positive Impact has resulted in significant business and global event sector impact. Through sustainability education, thought leadership, and alignment with global initiatives, this collaboration has brought tangible benefits to both Cerespo and the broader Japanese event community. The letter from Positive Impact to Cerespo highlights the successes of the collaboration.

Innovating to accelerate sport’s contribution to sustainable development

Positive Impact is one of a community of 25 teams of innovators from around the world, all using emerging technologies to accelerate sport’s contribution to sustainable development, who have been selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to join its new Tech365 Explore think tank, which is part of the Olympism365 Innovation Hub.

Trialing The Pavilion for People at the World Economic Forum

The Pavilion for People opened alongside the World Economic Forum as one of a number of openings to trial the concept.

Launching The Pavilion for People alongside COP29

On 11th November 2024 we opened the doors to The Pavilion for People alongside COP29.

Former BBC News Science Editor David Shukman posted on LinkedIn about his decision to not attend COP29 in person, and his positive experience with attending The Pavilion for People virtually.

Within 24 hours, the BBC published an article about how the UN climate talks were “no longer fit for purpose”.

“At the conference in Baku, negotiators from small island states were particularly concerned about any attempt to change the nature of the COP, where all countries are equal.

They worry that if decisions are made among the big emitters at forums such as the G20 group of richer nations, their small island voice will be excluded.

“We’re not a part of those discussions,” said Micahi Robertson who’s an adviser to the Alliance of Small Island States at these talks.”

— Quote from the BBC article about COP29

The need for change

The Pavilion for People also supported the Open Letter on COP reform which suggested that “COP meetings must be transformed into smaller, more frequent, solution-driven meetings” and included a specific call to action to enhance equitable representation.

“The Pavilion for People opens the experience of attending a COP to everybody. It is a place where you can speak directly to a refugee in Kenya about the challenges the climate is creating for them; or from the CEO of an organization creating a solar alternative to firewood for cooking across much of Africa. A CEO who sees the Pavilion as a more effective, inclusive – and cheaper – way of getting out a message than attending a COP.”

— Fiona Pelham, CEO of Positive Impact

Our partners for the Pavilion alongside COP29 included:

• SOLCO

• Race to Zero

• BSI

• We Don’t Have Time

• Virtual Ocean Pavilion

• Global Peatlands Initiative

• Faith Pavilion

Asking what the UN Summit means for the future of human engagement

During UN Summit for the Future and New York Climate Week (September 20th - 29th 2024) The Pavilion for People was open to explore and:

1. Increase your knowledge on how events can be used to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

2. Use your storytelling skills to take action against climate change

3. Explore how The Pavilion for People is enabling all voices to be heard

The Pavilion for People is an experiment in human engagement.

How can we include everyone’s voices in the key conversations of our time? 

When you visit The Pavilion for People you will be part of creating a future where events are delivered within planetary boundaries and in a way that advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Demonstrating how to advance 5th P (Persuade) Race to Zero commitments by delivering a sustainable engagement strategy

On World Environment Day (5th June 2024) The Pavilion for People opened for 24 hours. Attendees could join the Race to Zero community and:

1. Build your capacity in event sustainability

2. Find out how to join The Race to Zero and access the resources you need to make a credible commitment to net zero (there will be a webinar for The Race to Zero community)

3. Explore how The Pavilion for People is enabling all voices to be heard

Enabling a sustainable event industry with ISO 20121:2024

To celebrate Earth Day 2024 over 300 people gathered online for the launch webinar for the revised ISO 20121:2024.

Contributions were made to the webinar from: ISO Secretary General, International Olympic Committee Head of Legacy, UNFCCC Senior Director, Operations Coordination, Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, UNICEF UK, The Centre of Sport and Human Rights, The Race to Zero, Positive Impact Events and Our 2050 World.

Following the webinar a virtual engagement and exhibition area launched and was available until May 22nd. This area:

• Supported visitors to understand the ISO 20121:2024 revision process and outcomes

• Enabled them to relisten to the launch webinar

• Empowered them to take their first steps with ISO 20121 by providing resources, case studies and more

Launching an ISO 20121:2024 education course with BSI

ISO 20121:2024 was released in April 2024 following a revision. Positive Impact and BSI have come together to produce this two-part education course. This starts with BSI’s education course on the learning requirements of ISO 20121:2024, which provides the user with an understanding of the standard. It is then followed by an implementation course for ISO 20121:2024 provided by Positive Impact.

ISO 20121:2024 Event Sustainability from Understanding to Implementation: a training product from BSI and Positive Impact Events will provide you with all the understanding and practical support you need to be able to demonstrate evidence of implementation of ISO 20121:2024

BSI publishes updated ISO 20121 sustainability standard for events

ISO 20121: 2024 has an increased focus on climate change, supply chain measures and human rights. It includes an extended list of issues that should be identified and evaluated, along with new commitments such as reporting on achievements, lessons learnt and, where appropriate, legacy.

Exploring the role of the event sector in SDG 5, target 1: Ending all forms of discrimination agains women and girls everywhere

To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March 2024, Positive Impact hosted a webinar to explore the role of the event sector in SDG 5.

The webinar explored the role of standards in advancing gender equality, including:

• The role of events in advancing SDG5

• How best practice could impact the advancement of events and gender equality

Attendees could also:

• Learn from international standard experts, including Anne Hayes from British Standards Institute, about how event professionals can use standards to end all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere.

• Be inspired by international sustainability experts, including Jane Eisenhart from Race to Zero

Setting out our vision and manifesto for 2024

Are you ready to plan and deliver events with a positive impact in mind?

Right now, there’s an opportunity for you to lead and take strategic action around sustainability. And we’re here to help.

We’re a credible and purpose-led organisation.

Positive Impact has been advocating for a more sustainable event sector through education, collaboration and engagement for almost 20 years. As a not-for-profit, any money that you spend with us gets reinvested into making a difference.

Our CEO chaired ISO 20121, the international standard for sustainability in the event sector. We are also a Race to Zero Accelerator for events and a UN SDG Action mobiliser.

We believe that engagement and connection is vital for humankind.

We meet, listen to each other, collaborate, inspire, compete, innovate, experience and celebrate. Through events, we have the opportunity to share inspiration and create change, listen with understanding and bring peace, explore what we have in common, and celebrate being human.

This should create a world that thrives, for us and our environment.

‌But the reality isn’t matching the need. It’s fair to say that the current approach doesn’t reflect the vision of a world thriving.

Meetings about global issues taking place in one meeting room, so the voices of those prevented from traveling there are not heard. Festivals of celebration leaving mountains of waste. Events that gather the world’s champions that use the world’s resources, even though we have the scientific data to know we don’t have enough.

So how do we create a better world?

To start with, we give people the knowledge and the tools to make a difference.

We currently have over 1,800 event professionals from over 60 different countries who volunteer to use their voices to champion sustainability as Positive Impact Ambassadors.

This community is taking action. They are using free toolkits on ISO 20121, human rights, circular economy, gender equality. They are sharing best practice through global UN-aligned campaigns. And they are championing positive change at company, industry and government levels.

But even 20 years of work hasn’t been enough to create the transformation needed for a sustainable global event sector.

Despite a rise in the number of initiatives, events and articles on the subject of sustainability, and an increased awareness of greenwashing, there’s a resistance to change. Conversations end with “we like the idea, but now isn’t the right time”.

But if not now, then when?

We are living at a time when we have the data, and we know that we need to be acting on issues like carbon and waste.

There’s no one-size-fits all approach for how to get to where we need to be, but if you are a company on this journey, Positive Impact is the partner with the most credible experience that you could ask for.

How we can support you.

We have the knowledge, expertise and parterships to help you to:

• Educate yourself on sustainable event management with Certified Professional Development accredited materials

• Future proof your business with credible action on carbon, materiality, stakeholder engagement and more

• Demonstrate your sustainability credentials through implementation of ISO 20121

• Show innovation which will open up new strategic opportunities now is the time to take action 

Supporting the global event sector to participate in the revision of ISO 20121

During 2023 ISO 20121 was revised and Positive Impact provided toolkits so event professionals, national standard bodies, industry associations and other liaison bodies could give their input to the revision. This innovative approach delivered successful results and ISO 20121: 2024 revision was completed to be used at Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

---

An event sustainability management system suitable for ensuring events leave a positive legacy.

Originally inspired by The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a revision due to be launched for Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games ISO 20121 is a standard to enable sustainability to be considered at every decision point in the planning of an event.

The ISO/TC 250 web page provides an overview of standard development activity.

---

Are you interested in understanding more about what ISO 20121 means for the future of events and how human engagement happens?

This 90 minute webinar is a must-watch for:

• Anyone responsible for delivering events (sport, business or cultural)

• Part of the supply chain who make events happen

• Associations whose members represent the event sector

• National standards bodies ready to contribute to a global sustainability standard

---

Learn about the opportunity for the global event sector if ISO 20121 launches before the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

View case studies from four organisations who have trialed ISO 20121.

---

Learn about how human rights considerations can be advanced with ISO 20121

This 90 minute webinar is a must-watch for:

• Anyone responsible for delivering events (sport, business or cultural)

• Anyone part of the supply chain who make events happen

• Associations whose members represent the event sector

• National standards bodies ready to contribute to a global sustainability standard

The Chair of the ISO 20121 working group provided an update on the progress of revision in June 2023.

---

Learn about how SMEs are implementing ISO 20121

---

How can I contribute to ISO 20121 and advance a sustainable event sector?

---

Are you interested in trialing ISO 20121 and providing comments during the revision stage?

---

FAQs

Who are ISO? 

How are standards developed?

How could I contribute to a revision of a standard?

Review Positive Impact’s resources above which will support you if you are working in a job role which is part of the event sector; if you are an event sector association; if you are in a position of influence in the event sector; and if you are national standards body.