At an event held on 4th December at the Bologna Exhibition Centre, the international certification body Bureau Veritas Italia formally awarded Cersaie the ISO 20121:2024 certification for ‘Event sustainability management systems – Requirements with guidance for use.’ The certificate was presented by the certification director Roberta Prati and senior large client manager from the certification division Antonella Fabbri to Armando Cafiero, director general of Confindustria Ceramica. Also attending were BolognaFiere director general Antonio Bruzzone, executive manager of CERSAIE Angelo Dall’Aglio, Head of the ISO 20121 Management System and Confindustria Ceramica representative Simone Mosconi and Claudio Pellizzari of Artea.
The ISO 20121 standard, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), defines the management system requirements an organisation must meet in order to plan and deliver sustainable events.
For the show’s 2025 edition, Cersaie’s organisers voluntarily adopted a Sustainable Management System to bring together and formalise the numerous positive initiatives implemented over previous years.
This certification demonstrates the effectiveness of Cersaie’s policies and strengthens the organisers’ commitment to further consolidating the show as a global benchmark for the sector and as a model of operational excellence and sustainability. ISO 20121:2024 certification represents an added value for all stakeholders, partners and participants, encouraging the organisers to pursue responsible innovation with ever greater determination.
In line with this commitment, the sustainability performance of the recently concluded edition of Cersaie is currently being evaluated. The results will be shared transparently and used to further improve the performance of future editions.
‘This result recognises the work of everyone involved in organising Cersaie and is a strong incentive for us to continue improving,’ said Armando Cafiero, director general of Confindustria Ceramica. ‘ISO 20121 certification is not only an acknowledgment that the planning, design and execution of the show follow a verified and structured method, it is also a clear demonstration that the principles of social, environmental and economic responsibility that we share with our member companies are adopted throughout every phase and activity of Cersaie.’
Roberta Prati, certification director at Bureau Veritas Italia, commented: ‘When 95,000 people come together, as they do for Cersaie, it is essential to pay the utmost attention to safety and to the social and environmental impact of the event. Through our audits, we at Bureau Veritas are proud to recognise the efforts of organisations that adopt ISO 20121 certification as a tangible sign of their commitment to sustainability while actively involving stakeholders in the process.’
‘The certification obtained by Cersaie marks a decisive step forward in the way we conceive and organise events,’ commented Antonio Bruzzone, CEO of BolognaFiere. ‘Cersaie demonstrates that sustainability is now a central element of the trade fair experience and a value that exhibitors, buyers and international stakeholders have come to expect. The journey we have undertaken together with Confindustria Ceramica consolidates a model that combines quality, responsibility and innovation, generating tangible benefits for the entire sector. We will continue to invest in processes that create positive, measurable impacts, further raising the standards of our exhibitions.’
For more information about Cersaie, visit: www.cersaie.it/en/
