Lyon Convention Centre and Eurexpo Lyon, certified ISO 20121!

By obtaining ISO 20121 certification, the Lyon Convention Centre and Eurexpo Lyon, two GL events group venues in Lyon, fully integrate the principles of sustainable development in their event activities as a responsible company.

lyon for vents équipe

An even greener touch for GL events venues in Lyon

Three of GL events’ four venues in Lyon have already been taking an environmental approach over the past several years, notably via the ISO 14001 standard obtained by the Lyon Convention Centre, Eurexpo Lyon, and La Sucrière. Leveraging this strong foundation consistently with the Group’s CSR policy as a responsible company, the Lyon Convention Centre and Eurexpo Lyon sites are now certified ISO 20121. This standard sets the guidelines for responsible management systems that promote sustainable development applied to event-related activities.

Leveraging strong values of caring and solidarity in responsible management, Destination Lyon reinforces its commitment to sustainable development, supported by teams from the Lyon Convention Centre and Eurexpo Lyon, as well as by the Group’s senior management, who are enthusiastic about the project.

The ISO 20121 certification acknowledges the efforts made by the GL events group to position itself as a responsible company by limiting its ecological impact, resulting from a strong commitment to sustainable development over the past many years.

"We are aware of the ecological footprint caused by events and we would like to reduce it. Our ISO 20121 certification effort helps lead improvement in the event space in terms of sustainable development and responsible management.”

Sylvain Douce, in charge of CSR policy for GL events group venues in Lyon

The ISO 20121 standard in action!

The sustainable development actions carried out by the Lyon Convention Centre and Eurexpo Lyon focus on several different environmental and social issues:

  • Team unity and commitment: as part of the Group’s responsible management program, employee eating and informal areas were entirely revisited and recreated by staff. These new places for people to get together now host friendly breakfast events every month. Six beehives were set up at the two venues to raise employee awareness regarding the impact of bees and to help protect biodiversity. In September, following an initiative by the “Let's Commit” Committee*, the French Blood Bank organized a collection in front of the Lyon Convention Centre that attracted 58 donors.

* “Let’s commit” committees: The Eurexpo Lyon and Lyon Convention Centre venues both created their own “Let’s commit” committees comprised of employees who meet every three months to steer and propose actions.

 

“Let’s commit” committees
“Let’s commit” committees

 

 

  • Responsible Food and Beverages: the Lyon Convention Centre carried out several actions to distribute unconsumed food and beverage products to associations (over 2,500 meals so far). In addition, 100% of all dishware is now compostable. The venues are committed to eliminating plastic bottles in the very near future, choosing to offer reusable glass bottles instead.

 

  • Waste management: for the past two years, Eurexpo Lyon has been the Group’s venue that most recycles discarded furniture, notably thanks to its partnership with the eco-organization Valdelia. A partnership was also set up with Elise to better manage office waste, with the dual benefit of both improving sorting and supporting social inclusion. In 2018, the Lyon Convention Centre was one of the pioneers in the venues network, sorting and recycling over a ton of biowaste.

 

  • Environmental management of buildings: Both venues optimize their consumption of energy and water. To reduce CO2 emissions and promote the use of electric vehicles, Eurexpo Lyon also increased its number of recharging stations, now offering 24 stations able to handle a total of 48 vehicles.

 

  • Creating territorial value: A charity event in partnership with the French aid agency Secours Populaire is being organized for the end of the year.

 

Zoom on the ISO 20121 standard 

Established in 2012, the international ISO 20121 standard is the only CSR standard that is specific to event services. The standard is applicable to organizations of all sizes involved in planning and running events, such as event organizers, service providers, venue managers, and more.

Recognized in over 30 countries, the purpose of ISO 20121 is to provide a framework for identifying, eliminating, and reducing the potential negative social, economic, and environmental consequences of events and to leverage the more positive effects through continuous improvement in planning and processes. ISO 20121 certification is an ongoing process for sustainable development that must be renewed annually.