raising the bar on sustainable event management

bnetwork has successfully passed the ISO audit and achieved the latest ISO 20121:2024 certification. This is a significant milestone that builds on the foundation we established last year. This updated certification reflects not only the evolution of the international standard itself but also the continued growth of our sustainability commitments across the organisation, now extending to our Madrid office.

what is new with ISO 20121:2024?

the ISO 20121 standard has been updated from the 2012 edition to the 2024 revision, introducing strengthened requirements around stakeholder engagement, climate action, and the integration of sustainability across the full event lifecycle. The updated framework places greater emphasis on measurable outcomes and continuous improvement, principles that have always been central to the way we work at bnetwork.

by certifying against this latest version through a rigorous Bureau Veritas audit, we are demonstrating that our sustainability management system meets the most current and demanding global benchmarks for the events industry.

expanding our scope: welcome, Madrid

this year's certification carries special significance as it includes our Madrid office (opened in 2024) for the first time. Madrid joins our certified network of offices in Cannes, Barcelona, London, Paris, and Vienna, reinforcing our commitment to applying consistent sustainability standards across every location where we operate.

the inclusion of Madrid is the result of dedicated work by our local team to align with bnetwork's sustainability policies and practices from the outset, ensuring that our growing footprint never comes at the expense of our environmental and social responsibilities. With over 160 employees across 9 offices, 19 nationalities, and 14 languages spoken, sustainability is now embedded across every corner of the organisation.

a year of measurable progress

when we first obtained ISO 20121 certification in early 2025, we made it clear that it was only the beginning. Our recently published Sustainability Impact Report 2022–2024 provides a transparent account of the progress we have made, and where we still have room to improve.

key highlights from the report include:

• our carbon footprint per person decreased from 2.85 tCO2e in 2022 to 1.88 tCO2e in 2024, a reduction of 34% over two years.
• 78% of events we supported in 2024 featured at least one sustainable accommodation option, up significantly from previous years.
• 12% of hotels in our partner network now hold at least one recognised eco-label, with Green Key, Planet 21, and Biosphere among the most frequently held certifications.
• 41% of the events we supported in 2024 offered an average hotel-to-venue walking time of 15 minutes or less, reducing reliance on transportation.
• our CSR initiatives were recognised as a top 10 submission out of 96 applications at IMEX 2024 by BEFuture.
• through our bnetwork forest, created in partnership with Treedom, we have planted 200 trees across Tanzania and Colombia — 7 species contributing to local biodiversity, 47,125 kg of CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere, and 4,859 m² of new tree cover established. Beyond environmental impact, our trees are generating 555 kg of food annually and providing additional yearly income to farming communities. The full results are available in our Treedom Forest Impact Report.

we encourage our clients and partners to review the full Sustainability Impact Report 2022–2024 on our website for a comprehensive view of our environmental, social, and governance performance.

building on our sustainability commitments

our sustainability strategy is structured around four pillars — sustainable events, office operations, people, and software development — with commitments spanning environmental, social, and ethical dimensions. Over the past year, we have continued to strengthen our approach across all three.

• environmental commitments: we have continued to expand the sustainable accommodation options available through our booking platforms, which now showcase an even broader range of recognised eco-labels. Our booking websites also integrate the GoodPlanet Foundation carbon footprint calculator, enabling event attendees to estimate the environmental impact of their trip and make more informed accommodation choices. Within our office operations, the phase-out of natural gas in Barcelona has contributed to a measurable reduction in direct emissions. At the same time, we have strengthened waste recycling practices, low-carbon mobility incentives, and responsible purchasing policies across all locations. In Cannes, where we own the premises, we switched to a green electricity contract, effective February 2026.
• social commitments: our engagement with local communities has grown alongside our geographic reach. In addition to our ongoing contributions to the Barcelona Forum District, our work with the Emmaüs association and the Red Cross, and fresh fruit deliveries through the socially responsible companies Panéolocal and Refruiting, we are actively building new community relationships in Madrid. We continue to collaborate closely with supplier partners through our HotelPartners platform, enabling hotels to communicate their ecological and accessibility credentials to event attendees in multiple languages.
• ethical commitments: accessibility remains a core value. We continue to uphold Chapter 8 of the RGAA (General Accessibility Guidelines) across our digital platforms, which are built around the four fundamental principles of web accessibility: being perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. The PMR (reduced mobility) filter on our booking websites ensures that accommodations meeting accessibility standards are easy to identify and book. We have also implemented a secure whistleblowing channel in partnership with EQS, reinforcing our commitment to ethics, transparency, and integrity.

what this means for our clients and partners

achieving the ISO 20121:2024 certification reinforces our ability to support clients in hosting more sustainable events with confidence. The tools and resources we provide have evolved considerably over the past year:

• eco-friendly accommodation filters have been completely redesigned with a new user interface and are now more prominently positioned than ever on our updated booking websites. Event attendees can identify and book sustainable hotels with greater ease and clarity. Ecolabels and partner hotel standards are updated annually to ensure accuracy and relevance.
• the real-time eco-conscious tracker has also been redesigned and given greater prominence across our updated booking platforms. Event organisers and attendees can now monitor the collective impact of sustainable accommodation choices more visibly and intuitively, encouraging greener decisions throughout the booking journey.
• detailed sustainability metrics through our back-end tools give organisers access to comprehensive data for informed, responsible decision-making — supporting their own ESG reporting requirements.

with the updated certification, our clients and partners can be assured that they are working with an organisation held to the highest current standards in sustainable event management.

looking ahead

certification is never a destination. It is a commitment to continuous improvement, and our updated sustainability policy now sets quantified targets through 2029 and 2035 to hold ourselves accountable.

among the objectives we are working toward: increasing the share of events featuring at least one sustainable accommodation option from 78% to 85% by 2029 and 95% by 2035; ensuring that 50% of events offer an average hotel-to-venue walking time of 15 minutes or less by 2029, up from 41% in 2024; and achieving a 25% reduction in our digital carbon footprint by 2035 through code optimisation, hosting efficiency, and data minimisation.

these targets are designed to be measurable, auditable, and reviewed annually as part of our ISO 20121:2024 management system. As we grow, each target will be recalibrated to reflect new offices, new markets, and the evolving expectations of our clients and partners.

"Achieving the ISO 20121:2024 certification, now including our Madrid office, is a proud moment for the entire bnetwork team," said Marie Julian Patacchini, Quality and Sustainability Manager at bnetwork. "It confirms that as we grow, our commitment to sustainability grows with us. We will continue this journey with our clients and partners."

we invite you to join us in raising the standard of sustainable event management. Through the tools integrated into our booking platforms, which enable informed, responsible choices, and through responsible partnerships across the value chain, every decision represents an opportunity to move the industry forward together.

learn more about our sustainability initiatives by exploring the CSR section of our website and download our Sustainability Impact Report 2022–2024 for the full picture.