Auditing the Music Festival Sustainability Auditors.

Music festival entities are under increased pressure to publicly report their sustainability credentials every year. There is a cost associated with doing this, and some organisers can be guilty of greenwashing their sustainability reporting. Auditing sustainability achievements is now common, but festival organising entities want to know who is auditing these auditors?

Reporting, auditing and certification of sustainability achievements has become a booming industry estimated to be worth more than US$5.4 billion in 2026. With so much money sloshing around linked to sustainability, it is no surprise that some festival entities may be skeptical about the motivation of some organisations (sustainability vs. revenue). There are now a plethora of carbon accounting firms, ESG consultants and environmental auditors, but oversight of these operations is not always transparent.

Rising Incidents of Greenwashing.
Sustainability is high on the agenda of politicians and regulators who are pushing for ever more demanding standards. The publicity from these initiatives obviously has an impact on the views of festival-goers, sponsors and investors, which puts great pressure on festival entities to report favorable sustainably achievements. Greenwashing occurs when a festival selectively promotes their achievements and downplays their actual environmental impact. This has prompted the need for accurate reporting and auditing, plus the introduction of certifications to ensure that sustainability reporting is fair and transparent. Authorities in many jurisdictions are strengthening rules around environmental marketing claims and requiring greater evidence for sustainability statements. There is an increased awareness amongst festival-goers, sponsors, journalists, activists, and industry experts about greenwashing resulting in high profile challenges. Festival organisers now feel obliged to obtain certifications and have their sustainability credentials audited to prevent any claims of greenwashing. 

Auditing Sustainability Achievements.
The primary audit and certification industry standard for music festival is the ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management System. To obtain this a festival entity must use an approved audit organisation that includes SGS (General Society of Surveillance) TÜV SÜD (Technical Inspection Association South Germany), ERM Certification and Verification Services, QSCert (Slovak-German international management systems certification body) and Glocert International Certifications (UK) Limited, for example. These organisations also offer carbon footprint verification, net-zero claims, and ESG reporting. Other festival specific sustainability assessors include A Greener Future and Julie’s Bicycle. Whichever organisation a festival entity uses, there is invariably a cost associated with this.

Who is Auditing the Auditors.
Given the vast sums of money being charged for certification and auditing of music festival sustainability credentials it is essential that these auditors are sufficiently audited themselves. Under normal circumstances certification and audit bodies are accredited and monitored by national accreditation agencies operating under the framework of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) for example. They carry out exercises on audit organisations by conducting witness audits, office assessments, competence reviews, and periodic reassessments to ensure auditors remain impartial and technically competent.

Credible Sustainability for Music Festival Entities.
With greenwashing practices becoming more difficult to use, festival entities are now having to get their sustainability reporting and credentials audited by a recognised organisation. Some organisers are conducting auditor shopping where they seek out the most lenient sustainability assessor. This practice can lead them to still being accused of greenwashing so to counter this organisers should be aiming for assessments that have transparent methodologies, meet public reporting of audit criteria with independent verification panels and cross auditor benchmarking. When selecting a sustainability auditor festival organisers should be selecting those that are accredited by recognised national accreditation bodies, working to international standards and are subject to independent surveillance audits. Many larger festival entities now employ a dedicated internal sustainability team who work closely with external auditors. These auditors will be expected to be reviewed regularly by an accreditation body, and all processes, procedures and sustainability reporting should entail public disclosure and stakeholder scrutiny.

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