DRPGROUP ACHIEVES GLOBAL FIRST IN ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT STANDARDS

Exciting news for the drpteam this week as six months of hard work reviewing, developing and installing brand new environmental policies and procedures has paid off. We have become the first communication and events agency in the world to achieve accredited certification against the combined ISO14001 (International Standard in Environmental Management) and BS8901 (the recently launched British Standard for a Sustainable Event Management System).

We have been working closely with environmental events experts EcoEvents, and their director Sam Wilson who specialises in sustainable management solutions designed specifically for the events industry. Sam has utilised her vast expertise in the area of sustainability in events to transform our policies and procedures, while installing new checks and measures for our environmental management.

Achieving these certifications will ensure measurable bottom line benefits for the group. It will also provide numerous benefits to our clients including the ability to communicate with confidence that the environmental impact of their events is being reduced. It will also of course benefit our clients’ bottom lines as more sustainable events are inherently more cost effective. Many clients, especially in the public and charitable sectors, are demanding hard evidence to back up environmental claims made by potential suppliers and so the receipt of these certifications will no doubt lead to increased confidence in the group and our ability to lead the industry in environmental management. Sam Wilson, director of EcoEvents commented: “The quality of environmental management within a company is seen as one of biggest indicators of the quality of the management in general. Managing environmental and social impact is an essential component of effective event management. This is good business practice first and foremost - if a business is not sustainable it has a limited life.”

Our success in achieving these certifications sends out a message that positive change in the events, meetings and conference industry is achievable with sufficient dedication. Dale Parmenter, drpgroup managing director commented on this achievement: “Without a doubt, sustainability is one of the most important challenges our industry faces. As the recession comes to an end and businesses begin to focus on the bigger picture again, sustainability will not only start to become as important as Health and Safety is, but it will get to the stage where businesses will need to account for their environmental impacts in much the same way as they are required to meet their fiscal responsibilities. Above all, we as an industry have a moral obligation to reduce any damaging effects our operations may cause to the environment. This certification is great news for our clients and for the future of the drpgroup”.