Zero Waste Events Certification

Showcase your organization’s achievements in event waste diversion with SCS’ Zero Waste Events Certification

Inna Kitaychik   |  
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Recognize your company’s event management efforts to divert waste with SCS’ Zero Waste Events Certification. The Zero Waste Events Certification provides a basis for certifying municipal solid waste volumes diverted from landfills for events such as concerts, fairs, festivals over a specific time period. Achieving Zero Waste Events Certification provides third-party assurance that your event’s waste elements are successfully diverted through reuse, reclamation, recycling, composting, sale or donation, and waste-to-energy.

Why Choose SCS?

SCS Zero Waste Events Certification is both business practical and environmentally rigorous. It benefits your business by delivering a cost-effective, respected, and well supported third-party certification. SCS certifies your event’s waste diversion achievements starting at 75%. In addition, any progress your event has made in its waste diversion can be expressed as points on your certificate. For example, if your event initially achieved a 75% diversion, and an 80% diversion in the next audited year, the certificate would show ‘+5’. Furthermore, SCS provides you with a dedicated and experienced inhouse certification team available to answer your questions and provide customized guidance during each step of the verification process.

  • Overview/Details
  • Process
  • Program Documents

The SCS Zero Waste Events Certification provides a basis for the certification of municipal solid waste volumes diverted from landfills at singular events. Certification provides third-party assurance that waste elements are diverted from landfills using any of the following methods: reuse, reclamation, recycling, composting, sale/donation, and waste-to-energy.

This standard seeks to recognize Event Management’s efforts to divert waste generated at an event, such as a concert, fair, festival, over a specific time period. It also seeks to encourage visibility into downstream flow of waste leaving an Event. Event Mangers that can identify where the material flows, can potentially claim higher diversion rates.

Events demonstrating at least 75% waste diversion can be recognized through certification under this standard. Events achieving 99% waste diversion can make a ‘Zero Waste Event’ certified claim. Events achieving below 99% will have their exact diversion stated on the certificate. For example, “Event Achieved 85% Waste Diversion from Landfill”.

A certificate will showcase the Operator’s achievements in waste diversion. The certificate shall include a transparent overview of the achievements, including the following required information: 

  • The percent of waste diversion the Event has achieved. Percentage is calculated by (diverted waste - residuals) / (total waste)
  • Each method of diversion used (e.g., recycling, composting, waste-to-energy) as well as the percentage diverted using each method
  • The progress the Event has made in waste diversion expressed as points; for example, if an event achieved 75% diversion last year and 80% diversion in the audited year; the certificate would show ‘+5’
  • The name of the Event
  • The timeframe in which the Event took place
  • The locations included in the scope of certification, as well as those that are excluded. For example, a trade show hall is included, but host hotels are excluded.

The certificate will be publicly available on the SCS website.

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