Amazon Accelerate Achieves Second Consecutive Sustainability Certification from the Events Industry Council

2025 event reaches Platinum Level for environmental and social responsibility

WASHINGTON, D.C. (11 March 2026) – The Events Industry Council announced today that Amazon Accelerate 2025, an event for Amazon selling partners, has achieved Platinum Level Certification — advancing from its 2024 Silver Level certification — under the EIC Sustainable Event Standards. Amazon Accelerate collaborated with Maritz on the certification.

“Achieving Platinum builds on the progress we made last year and reflects our continued commitment to advancing sustainability,” said Jenny Adrian, Director, Amazon Seller Events Team. “Each year, we look for meaningful ways to help reduce environmental impact and strengthen the positive social contributions of our event. By continuing to align with the EIC Sustainable Event Standards, we’re improving our performance and raising the bar for responsible event execution.”

The EIC Sustainable Event Standards were created through a global collaborative process with participation from subject matter experts in all sectors. They provide a framework for collaboration and a strong focus on guidance and metrics so that event professionals at all stages of their sustainability journey have support to implement and measure sustainable practices.

The standards specify performance criteria in the areas of organisational management; marketing; communications and engagement; climate action; water management; materials and circularity; supply chain management; diversity, equity and inclusion; accessibility; and social impact. To date, more than 300 professionals have participated in the review of the standards. The event organiser standard is one of several comprehensive standards for more environmentally sustainable events.

In 2025, Amazon Accelerate significantly expanded its sustainability efforts through comprehensive initiatives developed in collaboration with all stakeholders and vendors. Key enhancements included an updated sustainability policy with specific targets for energy usage, water conservation, and waste management. The event demonstrated meaningful waste reduction and community impact by donating leftover food and swag to the local Seattle community and converting 71,435 pounds of exhibit hall carpet, AstroTurf, and printed signage into alternative fuel for cement kilns, achieving an 88.5% waste diversion rate. A new booth in the exhibit hall provided information and inspiration to selling partners about Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly (CPF) program, which features products that have earned trusted third-party certifications in Amazon’s store.

“Amazon Accelerate’s progression from Silver to Platinum certification demonstrates a commitment to continue working towards more sustainable event practices,” said Amy Calvert, CEO of the Events Industry Council. “This achievement highlights the power of continuous improvement and shows how organizations can evolve their sustainability strategies while delivering impactful and engaging experiences.”

The Alliance for Audited Media, a not-for-profit auditing organisation, performed the independent third-party certification of the event’s compliance with the event organiser standard.

"This achievement underscores Amazon Accelerate’s dedication to continuous improvement and ongoing accountability,” said Richard Murphy, CEO, president and managing director, Alliance for Audited Media. “We applaud their team for consistently strengthening their sustainability practices and setting a strong example for the industry.”

Contact:
For all EIC media enquiries, additional comment and request for interviews, please contact
Steve Dobbins, Events Industry Council
Tel: +1 323 578 2671 / Email: media@eventscouncil.org

ABOUT EVENTS INDUSTRY COUNCIL
The Events Industry Council’s global federation includes 33 Association Members representing 103,500 individuals and 19,500 entities, and more than 30 Corporate Members with global operations and event teams in countries around the world.

EIC is the global champion for event professionals and event industry excellence. It promotes high standards and professionalism in the events industry with the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) programme and signature programme activities. The CMP credential is recognised globally as the badge of excellence in the events industry. The qualifications for certification are based on professional experience, education and a rigorous exam. Learn more at www.eventscouncil.org.

ABOUT AMAZON ACCELERATE
Amazon Accelerate is the annual flagship conference for third-party selling partners who sell in Amazon's North America store, creating a space where selling partners connect with peers, learn from subject matter experts, engage in exclusive activations, and hear directly from Amazon leaders about innovations designed to support their success.

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE FOR AUDITED MEDIA
As the leading global not-for-profit media assurance organization, the Alliance for Audited Media advances transparency, accountability and trust across media and advertising. From cross-media audits and data verification to industry certifications in areas such as brand safety, measurement, retail media and ethical AI, AAM validates the data and processes that power today’s media. Through impartial assurance and forward-thinking frameworks, AAM helps organizations demonstrate credibility and authenticity in a rapidly evolving media ecosystem. Learn more at auditedmedia.com.

ABOUT MARITZ LLC
Maritz engages people and elevates performance through solutions including incentives, rewards, experience design, creative strategy, incentive travel, meetings and events. Utilizing deep knowledge of behavioral science, data insights and analytics, Maritz increases customer loyalty, employee experience and sales performance for channel partner, association, trade show, automotive and Fortune 500 clients. Maritz’s proprietary event Carbon Footprint Measurement Tool offers comprehensive measurement capabilities and, together with our event designers, supports clients throughout their sustainability journey.