Together for a Sustainable Future

It’s important to us to ensure that our events are sustainable, helping prepare our world to meet the challenges of tomorrow. One key issue when it comes to sustainability is energy supply. Our vision is a renewable, decentralized, digital, continuously available energy supply. We have been working passionately and tirelessly toward this goal for over 30 years now.

The smarter E, the platform for the new energy world, offers a global showcase for innovations. It opens up markets and encourages knowledge-sharing and networking. To ensure that the event itself is sustainable, we examine every aspect from booth construction and carpeting to mobility and catering. We are gradually implementing measures to make all of these areas more environmentally friendly.

Exhibition Grounds

The smarter E Europe is held at the Exhibition Center Messe München . Some of the center’s sustainable solutions can be found here:

  • PV systems on the roofs of the exhibition halls and extension of the system to Parking deck West
  • Over 100 charging stations for electric vehicles
  • Cogeneration plant powered by natural gas
  • District heating from geothermal energy
  • Switch to 100 % green electricity
  • “Green” exhibition grounds (220,000 square meters of lawn, around 2,500 trees, green walls and 35,000 square meters of green roofs)
  • All hall lighting to be replaced with LEDs by 2026

Signage

It’s not possible for us to go entirely without signage. After all, we want to make your exhibition visit as straightforward as possible. We use digital forms of signage or try to use sustainable (recycleable) material wherever possible. We also try to think ahead when designing the signage, to ensure that it can be stored and used in the years to come.

Giveaways

With 115,000 people in attendance, the visitor lanyards alone make for a huge quantity of giveaways. Despite the higher cost, we have decided to switch to recyclable material. Our rPET lanyards are made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled PET. At the end of their life cycle, they are returned to the loop and fully recycled.

We’ve largely eliminated other giveaways or made sure that our other giveaways are long-lasting and genuinely useful.

Printed Materials

All of our marketing materials are assessed for sustainability. We carefully consider which materials still need to be printed at all. For example, the exhibition registration and various booking options are now available online and we have entirely replaced our Event Directory with online information.

When selecting partners, it is important to us that their operations are sustainable. We have also fostered long-standing business relationships. For example, we use recycled paper for our badges.

Booth construction and carpeting

We want to prioritize reusable materials and avoid waste. We are working to ensure sustainable booth construction for our own booths, with wooden parts and reusable modules. We have partnered up with the company meplan and use their innovative and sustainable exhibition booth system woodï, which is designed according to the principles of the circular economy and drastically reduces the carbon footprint.

We use a sustainable type of carpet which is produced with less water and lower emissions of CO2 and other gases than conventional exhibition carpets. Each year, we meticulously review how much carpet is really needed and where we can do without it for the sake of the environment.

We have not used carpeting in entrances or hallways since 2021.

Catering

We strive to ensure a mindful approach to the purchasing and packaging of food and drink. We are pleased that our catering businesses comply with the following requirements:

  • Preferential use of local products – minimizing supply chains and supporting area businesses
  • Avoidance of plastic
  • Use of reusable dishes or biodegradable containers
  • Collection of bottles by means of a deposit return scheme
  • We will install eight drinking fountains throughout the exhibition grounds to provide free water to visitors. Bring your own water bottle or use one of the bottles offered on site.

Waste disposal management

Wherever possible, we try to implement the principle of “first avoid then reduce then compensate” and are constantly working on new digital solutions to avoid/reduce signage or printed documents, for example.

We’re developing a disposal concept for our exhibitors, where the primary goal is to drastically reduce the amount of waste generated during booth construction.

Our team

Our team mainly uses public transport or bikes for commuting. Sustainable transport is also the preferred method for business trips. For events, we try to use regional and seasonal products and avoid disposable tableware. We are constantly reviewing and optimizing our work processes, and we work almost entirely without paper.

Together we can make a difference!

When it comes to making our exhibitions more sustainable, every exhibitor matters. Your decisions can make a difference:

  • Booth construction: Use energy efficient devices and lighting and make sure that your booth or at least parts of your booth and equipment can be reused.
  • Logistics/transportation: Work with a regional partner company/service provider and avoid unnecessary trips. Make sure you use reusable and environment-friendly packaging.
  • Travel and accommodation: If possible, use public transportation. Why not take advantage of the DB Event Ticket? Your accommodation should be within easy reach of the exhibition grounds.
  • Catering: Provide reusable dishes and bottles, offer regional and seasonal foods and avoid food waste. Fill your own bottles at the water fountains in our forums and trade press booths.
  • Communication and advertising material: Minimize the use of printed materials and switch to environment-friendly prints. Don’t offer any disposable items as giveaways. Remember to return your exhibition lanyards to the boxes at the exits after the event. We'll take care of their sustainable disposal.
  • Procurement: Choose products that are certified and environmentally friendly. Consider their origin and the conditions under which they were made.
  • Waste disposal management: Avoid using packaging material wherever possible. If waste is nevertheless generated, ensure that it is sorted and disposed of correctly. You can order this in advance via Messe München's service provider. Further information on this can be found in our newsletter on waste avoidance .
  • Human Resources: Your staff should receive fair wages, not work longer than allowed and have enough breaks.

All of this is a work in progress

There are sure to be other areas with room for improvement. But we are determined to keep moving forward with our efforts to make our events more sustainable. Do you have any suggestions? We would be delighted to hear them.

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