The British Standards Institution (BSI) introduced the BS 8901 Event Sustainability Management specifications in 2007 and, in May 2009, submitted it to ISO in partnership with the Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT). BS 8901 was approved and re-introduced by the ABNT in June 2012 as ISO 20121, in hopes that MICEes of all scopes and categories will be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable enough to reduce their ecological impact and related negative damage.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) introduced the BS 8901 Event Sustainability Management specifications in 2007 and, in May 2009, submitted it to ISO in partnership with the Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT). BS 8901 was approved and re-introduced by the ABNT in June 2012 as ISO 20121, in hopes that MICEes of all scopes and categories will be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable enough to reduce their ecological impact and related negative damage.

Based on the Plan-Do-Check-Action (P-D-C-A) cycle management method, as shown in the figure below, the implementer of ISO 20121 first identifies the stakeholders, communicates with them, determines the scope of management system with a focus on certain sustainability issues, then lays down the sustainable development principles, policies and goals Based on the designated goals, they integrate feasible measures into the MICE planning stage to be implement them accordingly. In addition, a monitoring mechanism is adapted to constantly help revise the sustainability management system.