AWWA commits to sustainable events, achieves Events Industry Council Foundations Level Certificate

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) announced today that it has earned the Foundations Level Certificate from the Events Industry Council (EIC), marking a significant step in the association’s commitment to sustainable and socially responsible conference and event management.

The EIC Foundations Certificate Program guides organizations in establishing policies and plans designed to launch successful sustainability and social impact programs within events. AWWA earned its certificate based on the evaluation and approval of AWWA’s best practice principles. These include plans and policies around sustainability, social impact, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and conference code of conduct.

“By earning the Foundations Level Certificate from EIC, AWWA reaffirms its commitment to stewardship, continuous improvement and shaping a sustainable water future,” said AWWA CEO David LaFrance. “We are committed to embedding sustainable practices into every aspect of our events and look forward to working with our partners to create more environmentally and socially responsible experiences for our members and conference attendees. 

“Our journey towards sustainable events extends beyond just our conferences,” LaFrance added. “By achieving the EIC Foundations Level Certificate, we are taking concrete steps to align our actions with our Water 2050 vision and creating a secure and thriving water future.” 

Now that it has earned the Foundations Level Certificate, AWWA will work closely with EIC, third-party auditor Alliance for Audited Media (AAM), and Colorado-based sustainability consultants Honeycomb Strategies (HCS), to conduct a full logistics audit on the 2025 Annual Conference & Exhibition (ACE25). AWWA aims for ACE25 to achieve a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum certification level award with the EIC Sustainable Event Standards (SES) framework.   

The EIC SES are a set of social and environmental responsibility standards developed to assess events and industry suppliers. As an applicant, AWWA is required to demonstrate achievement of assessment criteria, including organizational management, marketing, communications and engagement, climate action, water management, materials and circularity, supply chain management, diversity, equity and inclusion, accessibility and social impact. 

AWWA began its journey towards the SES, including both the Foundations Certificate and SES event-level award, in early 2024 ahead of ACE24. AWWA and HCS proactively gathered sustainability metrics from its 2024 ACE partners and vendors, creating a gap analysis and establishing a verified baseline of sustainable ACE practices. These insights will inform the areas of focus and goals for enhancing sustainability efforts in 2025.

For more information about the program, visit https://www.awwa.org/ace/Attend/Sustainability-Impact.  

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Established in 1881, the American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water, the world’s most vital resource. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life.