Mastercard Purchase Family & Friends Day Achieves Gold Sustainable Event Standards Certification

The certification recognizes performance across a range of event sustainability criteria

WASHINGTON, D.C. (3 September 2026) – The Events Industry Council (EIC) announced today that Mastercard Purchase Family & Friends Day 2026, an annual event for Mastercard employees and their families, has earned Gold Level Certification to EIC’s Sustainable Event Standards. The event was evaluated across several sustainability measures, including climate action, waste reduction, accessibility, diversity and inclusion, responsible sourcing and community impact.

“Sustainability is an important consideration in how we bring our people and communities together,” said Ellen Jackowski, Chief Sustainability Officer at Mastercard. “Achieving Gold certification for Family & Friends Day reflects the thoughtful work of teams across Mastercard to create zero-waste events, reduce our environmental footprint and make more responsible choices at every stage of the event experience. We're proud to have those efforts recognized by the Events Industry Council, and we're focused on continuing to raise the bar for ourselves as we advance our journey toward a more sustainable future.”

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.

“Mastercard’s Family & Friends Day demonstrates how sustainability can be thoughtfully integrated throughout the event experience,” said EIC President and CEO Amy Calvert. “Achieving Gold certification reflects a strong commitment to environmental and social responsibility and shows what can be accomplished when sustainability is considered from planning through execution.”

Sustainability was embedded throughout the Friends & Family Day event experience. From recycling and composting stations to thoughtfully sourced materials and supplies, teams worked together to minimize environmental impact while creating a memorable experience for more than 3,000 attendees.

The results were remarkable:

• Achieved a 98% waste diversion rate, significantly exceeding the 90% threshold often used to define a zero-waste event
• More 1,000 pounds of leftover food was composted, while safely stored surplus food was repurposed for additional use, further reducing waste
• Donated 222 pounds of vinyl banners and unused craft supplies to Retake Remake, a local nonprofit that redistributes materials to teachers, artists and community members throughout Westchester County

“Mastercard’s achievement demonstrates the value of setting clear sustainability goals and measuring progress against rigorous standards,” said Richard Murphy, Alliance for Audited Media’s CEO, president and managing director. “We congratulate the Mastercard team on achieving Gold certification and demonstrating its commitment to creating sustainable events.”

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 worldwide federation includes 30+ Association Members and 30+ Corporate Members with global operations and event teams in countries around the world. EIC’s collective network touches an estimated half a million event professionals and more than 70,000 organisations across the global business events ecosystem.

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 MASTERCARD

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential. Learn more at mastercard.com.

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.