What is the SMA Sustainable Event Label?
The Label serves to recognise, support, and promote events in mountainous regions that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Rooted in the principles of ISO 20121:2024 Sustainable Event Management System, the label provides a structured framework for continuous improvement and responsible event management.
If your event is interested to implement the SMA Sustainable Event Label, please complete the form below and we will come back to you with additional information
What is ISO 20121:2024 Sustainable Event Management System?
ISO 20121 is an international standard for sustainable event management. It provides a framework for identifying, assessing and reducing the negative environmental, social, and economic impacts of events while maximising positive contributions to communities and ecosystems.
Why should my event pursue the SMA Sustainable Event Label?
Mountain environments are particularly fragile and are under increasing pressure from climate change and human activity. The SMA Sustainable Event Label helps you protect the natural setting that makes your event possible while demonstrating sustainability leadership. Benefits include reduced environmental impact, strengthened legal compliance, cost savings through improved efficiency, enhanced brand reputation, stronger stakeholder relationships, and alignment with sponsor sustainability requirements, driving continuous improvement from year to year.
Why should my region/resort pursue the SMA Sustainable Event Label?
When a hosting community (a region, a resort, government, Local Organising Committee) commits to the labeling process, it signals a commitment to sustainability, positive legacy, and minimising harm. Regions may encourage or even require event organisers to pursue labeling for all events taking place in their area.
How do we start implementing the SMA Sustainable Event Label?
The first step is to fill the form above and we will send you our Implementation Toolkit. The price of the Toolkit is CHF 100
The Toolkit will guide you through detailed steps for implementing sustainability within your event, including the importance of securing leadership commitment and appointing a sustainability manager to lead your sustainability efforts. For recurring events, it also outlines how to conduct a baseline assessment of your event’s current sustainability initiatives and impacts across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. You will be supported in identifying and engaging with your key stakeholders, such as athletes, local communities, land managers, sponsors, and environmental groups and in conducting a double materiality assessment. Finally, define your sustainability policy and develop an action plan with measurable targets and clearly assigned responsibilities.
What is a double materiality assessment that is required by ISO 20121 and multiple other standards?
A double materiality assessment allows you to identify your key sustainable development issues and to evaluate their significance. The assessment identifies which sustainability topics are significant from both impact and financial perspectives, helping you to prioritise topics that matter most to your stakeholders and your event’s success.
- Impact materiality: the event’s impact on people, the environment and the economy, e.g. carbon emissions, local employment, damage to nature, violations of human rights, waste generation (the inside-out view);
- Financial materiality: risks and opportunities for the event, created by sustainability-related factors and events e.g. regulatory risks, stakeholder expectations, extreme weather, or climate change (the outside-in view).
What specific sustainability areas should our event address?
We encourage all events taking place in the mountains to ensure responsible measures are taken to minimise harm and enhance positive impacts and legacy of your event, at least, with regards to:
- Transport and logistics
- Food and beverage
- Carbon emissions reduction
- Resource management
- Biodiversity and natural preservation
- Sourcing and procurement
- Accomodation
- Economic performance and market presence
For example, your management system should cover sustainable transport and logistics (e.g. promoting public transport for all participants, no helicopters), minimising energy consumption and prioritising renewable energy sources (e.g. solar, hydro, renewables for temporary power sources), minimising water consumption (e.g. sustainable snow management practices), waste reduction and recycling programmes (e.g. zero single use plastic), sustainable foods (e.g. vegetarian, local, seasonal), protection of flora and fauna (e.g. no chainsaws, conscious trail building practices, soil erosion prevention), local community engagement (e.g. working with local environmental and conservation organisations), ensuring accessibility and inclusion of the local community (e.g. for accommodation, staff/volunteers at the event), strengthening supply chain sustainability (e.g. locally made prizes and gifts; emergency preparedness for mountain conditions), and climate-adaptation planning (e.g. adaptation for snow sports).
What are some of the key sustainability challenges that are specific to mountain events?
Mountain events face unique challenges including: sensitive alpine ecosystems, remote locations with limited infrastructure, and challenging accessibility, weather-dependent conditions requiring flexibility, seasonal water scarcity, wildlife habitat disruption, soil erosion from spectator and competitor traffic, waste management in remote areas, carbon emissions from participant and spectator travel to mountain locations as well as often being small events with minimal personnel and/or financial resources.
What documentation does the SMA Sustainable Event Label require?
You’ll need to provide documentary proof of several steps outlined in the Implementation Toolkit, including your event’s:
- mission statement in relation to sustainability that includes a commitment from leadership to ensuring the event minimises negative impact and maximises positive opportunities and impact,
- stakeholder identification and engagement records,
- supplier sustainability criteria,
- details of the main issues identified that your event will address and SMART objectives with detailed targets of how you will achieve those objectives. Such key performance indicators (KPIs) may include: waste diversion rates, carbon footprint per participant, % of vegetarian, local food consumed, % of local suppliers, water consumption, engagement with local communities, number of jobs created etc.
- a commitment to meeting all the legal regulations that apply to the event and/or the organisation,
- a commitment to continual improvement and to improve performance each year or for each event.
When should my event start implementing sustainability initiatives?
We recommend that events start planning for their sustainability initiatives during the bid stage. The earlier you embed sustainability across all functional areas of the event (i.e. transport, food, procurement, logistics etc.), the easier it will be to reach the standard expected by the SMA Sustainable Event Label.
Is the SMA Sustainable Event Label hard to achieve?
The Label is rigorous and does not allow for any form of greenwashing. While the SMA recognises that no event is perfectly sustainable, the Label promotes a framework of continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to reduce negative impacts and strengthen positive contributions. The Label will continue to evolve in line with global standards, rising expectations and the changing environmental realities our planet is facing.
What does the certification process involve?
PRE-EVENT
- Commitment: You commit to implementing the SMA Label and completing the form above. This gives you access to the Implementation Toolkit that provides a step by step guide to implementing the Label, aligned with ISO 20121.
- Kick off meeting: a 1 hour ‘Kick Off’ meeting with the SMA team (in French or English).
- Implementation: Typically coordinated by a Sustainability Manager, you take the necessary steps outlined in the Implementation Toolkit to embed sustainability into your event.
- Approximately 2 months before the event: contact the SMA to book in a two stage audit: Document Audit and Event Audit.
- Document Audit. You will complete an online Audit Form and upload all documentation that proves your planned implementation of sustainability initiatives at your event. As event documentation may still be in progress until the very last moment, documents can be saved and uploaded to the system once you are ready to submit them to the SMA.
EVENT TIME – Event Audit
- Option 1: An auditor will come to your event to conduct an on-site assessment of your implementation of the Label.
- Option 2: You will provide photo evidence of the implementation of sustainability at your event.
POST EVENT
Label issuance. Once the Document and Event Audits have been conducted, the SMA team will evaluate the event using a standardised scoring system. Based on your score, you will be awarded one of the following label levels:
- No Label – Minimum criteria not met.
- Bronze Label – Basic sustainability practices in place.
- Silver Label – Intermediate level with measurable actions that are implemented in a structured manner
- Gold Label – Advanced sustainability integration and continuous improvement.
The conformity assessment will be aligned with ISO audit standards. If successful, certification will be granted for a period of three years ( subject to annual surveillance audits).
What if my event is still unlikely to be able to achieve bronze, silver or gold?
The Toolkit and the SMA support is designed to support you in your journey to conducting more sustainable events. The label is not a one size fits all management system, it is not a checklist but acknowledges progress and steps taken to address non-conformities and credible commitments and efforts taken.
How much does implementation of the SMA Sustainable Event Label cost?
Costs vary based on event size, complexity and include the SMA’s certification fee (audit cost – see below). You may also need to hire consultants if you seek external support, staff time for system development and maintenance, infrastructure investments like renewable energy or waste systems, and training and educational programmes. Many events find that efficiency gains and new sponsorship opportunities offset these investments over time.
| Number of employees – FTE (Full Time Equivalent) | Price (CHF) | Price (CHF) |
| Less than 10 | 3500* | 6 hours of support including Kick Off meeting, Document and Event Audit + Label (if achieved) |
| 10-100 | 5500* | 6 hours of support including Kick Off meeting, Document and Event Audit + Label (if achieved) |
| More than 100 | 7500* | 18 hours support including Kick Off meeting, Document and Event Audit + Label (if achieved) |
* + CHF100 for Implementation Toolkit purchased at the beginning of your commitment to sustainability
Support includes:
- Kick off meeting between SMA and core team
- Toolkit including templates guidance
- Contact person for questions
- Audits (Documents and event audit – typically half a day).
Should the event organiser choose an onsite Event audit, prices do not include the travel and accommodation expenses of the auditor/s. We seek to use auditors who are geographically close to the event to avoid unnecessary carbon emissions linked to travel. Please note that Gold label can only be attributed through onsite event audits.
Can we implement the SMA Sustainable Event Label measures without formal certification?
Absolutely. The Label’s framework provides value whether or not you pursue formal SMA certification. Many events start by implementing key principles, demonstrating results, and pursuing certification once their system is mature. Self-declaration of conformity is also an option, though certification by the SMA provides independent verification that enhances credibility with stakeholders.
For more information, contact: info@sustainablemountainalliance.org