Sustainability is one of the most important issues facing modern-day society. It’s hard to go more than a day without hearing the word mentioned online, in the media or in everyday conversation. Sustainability refers to protecting our environment and human health, while driving innovation without compromising the way we live.
Given its practices and procedures since its inception in 2000, it is clear that Oracle Park’s Giants Enterprises is for sustainability. With year-round activity at Oracle Park, including 80+ baseball games and 250+ events, Giants Enterprises continues to innovate and implement business practices that promote sustainability while improving guest experience, promoting job creation and strengthening the local economy. First and foremost, the organization understands the importance of creating a culture that focuses on sustainability and the social, economic and environmental impacts that stem from events in and around the ballpark. The ballpark has great event venues including the Gotham Club, the Giants Clubhouse, the Cloud Club, the Club Level, the Field Club, the Visitors’ Club House, the Garden, and the Oracle Park field itself.
Two of Giants Enterprises’ core values are innovation and entrepreneurism, and in that spirit, the San Francisco-based company is currently undertaking a relatively new initiative within the events industry titled ISO 20121. This initiative is the international standard for event sustainability and offers guidance and best practice to help companies manage their events and control the social, economic and environmental impacts they create.
ISO 20121’s flexible approach means it can be used for all types of events, from music festivals to school outings. The standard has been developed with input from many different stakeholders, including representatives from the event industry, to make it practical and useful. It addresses all stages of an events’ supply chain, and includes monitoring and measuring guidelines.
Developed by the United Nations, the following Sustainable Development Goals form a blueprint and roadmap for ISO 20121 standards.
Identifying and uncovering opportunities to become more sustainable from an economic, financial and social standpoint has been the focus of Giants Enterprises since it began its ISO 20121 journey in 2016.
The first event the company examined was a nonprofit fundraising event hosted in partnership with a star San Francisco Giants player and a local hospital foundation in September 2018. Together with their exclusive concessionaire, Bon Appétit Management Company (BAMCO), Giants Enterprises examined the food and beverage aspects of this particular event along with assessing the carbon footprint created as a result of working with a multitude of vendors.
Bon Appétit — a key partner for Giants Enterprises throughout this process — is a perfect match, as the company shares similar principals and are a true champion in the sustainability space. Founded in 1987, the company launched the Farm to Fork program in 1999, requiring its chefs to buy at least 20 percent of their ingredients from small farmers, ranchers, fishermen and food producers within 150 miles of their kitchens. In May 2018, Bon Appétit received the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) Leadership Award for Overall Sustainable Purchasing Program, the council’s highest honor.
After examining the event, the two were able to identify key information, including:
- Weight of food sourced for event: 574 pounds
- Percentage of food purchased within 150 miles: 35 percent
- Total number of food and beverage suppliers that traveled for event: 11
- Amount of wine purchased within 150 miles: 100 percent
Together, Giants Enterprises and Bon Appétit have used this information to initiate improvements within their supply chain and to increase efficiencies in their sustainable practices.
This is just the beginning of Giants Enterprises’ ISO 20121 journey as the company strives to be a leader in the sustainability space at the unique intersection of the events, hospitality, entertainment and sports industries.