Edgbaston becomes first cricket stadium to land Global sustainability award

Edgbaston Stadium has become the first cricket ground in the country to achieve a global standard for sustainable events as its net zero plans gather pace.

The ground has been awarded the BS ISO 20121 accreditation by the British Standards Institute (BSI) in recognition of its Sustainable Event Management System.

BSI auditors assessed all aspects of Edgbaston's event planning, including the sustainability credentials of its suppliers, before awarding the certification.

The award was presented during the interval at Sunday's Go Green Game IT20 between England and New Zealand which was the first sustainable international match day of its kind in the UK.

Edgbaston's head of sustainability Lydia Carrington said: “We are incredibly proud of achieving this accreditation. It will support Edgbaston in achieving our sustainability goals.

“Edgbaston is committed to leading the way in sustainability and aims to be the most sustainable cricket venue in the UK. The BS ISO 20121 supports this by providing a framework, policies and procedures for sustainable management.

“The accreditation is the culmination of several audits and assessments in which the stadium met BSI's exacting benchmarks around the planning, monitoring, measurement, policy and leadership of our events.

“Cricket and the wider sports industry can play a vital role in creating positive, sustainable impact, so having sustainability embedded into our process and policies is crucial.”

The stadium has outlined its green objectives in an Edgbaston for Sustainability pledge in which it aims to be Net Zero by 2030.

BSI's Sustainable Event Management System focuses on reduced energy use, recycling and waste management, reducing carbon footprint and awareness raising among staff and visitors.

Matt Page, managing director of UK&I Assurance at BSI, said: “There is a fantastic opportunity to harness the power of the cricket world and its many supporters to collaborate to reduce our collective carbon footprint, as well as energy and water usage and waste.

“Edgbaston is leading the game by focusing on energy efficient practices, and prioritising the environment and local communities.

“We are proud to have certified the first UK cricket ground to the event sustainability management standard BS ISO 20121, supporting the Edgbaston team to create positive changes and accelerate progress towards a sustainable world.

“BS ISO 20121 is helping to build a legacy we can all be proud of.”

Pictured from left to right: BSI's Michelle Williams and Managing Director Matt Page, alongside Edgbaston's Lydia Carrington and Claire Daniel.