The Philadelphia Eagles are thrilled to announce that the team and its facilities – Lincoln Financial Field and the NovaCare Complex – have been recertified as an ISO 20121 operation. ISO 20121 is a voluntary international standard that addresses the management of improved sustainability throughout an organization's event cycle, provides guidance, and tracks progress to ensure full compliance with the set requirements. The Eagles were the first professional sports team to become an ISO 20121 certified operation in June 2018.
"We are honored to receive this prestigious recognition once again and would like to thank everyone who played a pivotal role in helping us get to this point," said Jason Miller, Senior Vice President of Operations. "This achievement speaks to our organizational commitment to sustainability, starting with great leadership at the top led by Jeffrey Lurie and Don Smolenski. Being recertified validates all the hard work, time, and resources we put forth to ensure that our operation is continuously reducing our carbon footprint on the environment."
ISO 20121, first introduced at the 2012 London Olympic Games, provides a management blueprint to address the "triple bottom line" of sustainability – the economic, environmental, and social impacts of events. The standard helps organizations operate in a way that is financially viable for the company, its customers, and suppliers; minimizes the use of resources and reduces waste; and considers the needs and expectations of those affected by the event or business. The key component of the standard is the development of a continuous improvement plan which is then implemented, analyzed, and modified to achieve ever increasing standards of performance.
"We congratulate the entire Philadelphia Eagles organization on the choice to independently certify their compliance to the ISO 20121 standard," said Glenn Hansen, President & CEO, BPA Worldwide. "The commitment to integrate sustainability into their management practices is a model that professional sporting teams around the country – and around the world – should emulate. We appreciate their continued consideration of the community and the environment."
The objective of the certification process was to provide the Eagles with an independent opinion as to whether their event management system met the criteria for ISO 20121. iCompli Sustainability, a division of BPA Worldwide, performed the independent third-party audit and determined that the work was in accordance with the iCompli protocol and that such work satisfied the ISO standard.
"As we strive to be a global leader in sustainability, our hope is that this recognition encourages others to join us on this journey and pursue ISO 20121 certification," said Norman Vossschulte, Director of Fan Experience, Philadelphia Eagles. "We believe this accreditation serves many benefits and will also help position our city as we collectively seek to be a host site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup."
The Eagles' Go Green program has been internationally recognized for its commitment to sustainability and eco-friendly measures. The team has earned LEED Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council, a GBAC (Global Biorisk Advisory Council) STAR accreditation, and recently became the first U.S. professional sports team to offset team travel emissions through the support of Ocean Conservancy's Blue Playbook. Their progressive approach has enabled them to serve as proud environmental stewards in Philadelphia and beyond.
