IMEX sustainability report focuses on positive change

Gain inspiration from IMEX Frankfurt as it peels back the curtain to reveal what goes on behind the scenes to achieve its sustainability goals.

No matter your role in the business events industry, the pressure’s on to make events greener and more sustainable. IMEX Frankfurt has released its latest Sustainable Event Report with the help of MeetGreen to detail the progress they’ve made and the challenges they’ve faced.

IMEX also launched its net zero roadmap as part of their commitment to the industry-wide Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) initiative. Their intention is to reach net zero by 2030, ahead of the 2050 target set out by NZCE in line with the Paris agreement.

Being the largest trade show of its kind in Europe, IMEX Frankfurt brings together approximately 3,800 global meeting planners from 90 countries and 2,900 suppliers from across 150 countries, building a powerful network industry professionals.

Reducing event footprint

Destination and site selection play two of the most significant roles towards mitigating environmental impacts. IMEX Frankfurt’s venue Messe Frankfurt and host city of Frankfurt both offer numerous sustainability attributes.

Frankfurt Airport serves more than 300 destinations across five continents, making it the airport with the most direct routes in the world. On average, non-stop routes reduce carbon emissions by roughly 100 kg/person relative to the next best connecting flight option. Emission reductions from taking Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof to the host venue saved up to 214 kg CO2e per passenger kilometre when comparing domestic flight averages to national rail travel.

Accommodations selected as part of IMEX’s sustainable site strategy were Frankfurt Marriot Hotel, which is powered by 42 per cent renewable energy, a portion of which is generated onsite via solar panels, and Adina Hotel Frankfurt Westend, which is powered by approximately 27 per cent renewable energy.

The IMEX team worked hard to minimise materials entering the waste stream through design decision and long-term collaboration with suppliers and exhibitors. These efforts include reducing carpets and using digital projection to eliminate the need for large format printing and graphics. Nearly 1,000 sqm of carpet was removed from the Galleria at Messe Frankfurt in 2023. Through exhibitor engagement and sustainability education efforts, there was a substantial decrease in single-use “build & burn” booths, with an estimated 38% reduction reported compared to 2019 levels.

IMEX and Messe Frankfurt teams notably performed waste-oriented back of house audits at Messe Frankfurt, key hotel properties, Alte Oper (site of the IMEX Gala Dinner), as well as an in-person site visit to the Meilo Recycling Facility in Gernsheim, Germany, to learn more about processes, technology, and materials accepted in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region.

In 2023, IMEX Frankfurt diverted 86 per cent of all event waste, preincineration, into material recycling, organics, and donations channels. Germany then “thermally recycles” and converts any residual waste into energy, through incineration.

Onsite attendance rose in 2023 by 26 per cent, with a total of 2,461 more attendees onsite. However, despite this increase, the total waste and waste incinerated per person reduced substantially. IMEX Frankfurt even recovered an estimated 91 kgs of name badges, lanyards, and holders through TerraCycle Europe.

When it came to food and beverage, plumbed water stations, compostable paper lids for to-go hot cups, reusable crockery, and products sources from locations in close proximity to Messe Frankfurt were some of the efforts to reduce carbon footprint and support the regional economy at the same time. They saved an estimated 1,158kg of materials from entering the event waste stream and saved 22,419kg of carbon emissions.

The Alte Oper (Old Opera House), site of the IMEX Frankfurt Gala Dinner, sources 30% of its energy from renewable energy sources. It also features kitchen organics recovery, glass collection, and recycling programmes. By sourcing chicken instead of beef for the Gala Dinner meat option, this saved an estimated 3,815 kg CO2e in upstream embodied supply chain and production emissions.

An abundance of natural light in the Atrium and Hall 8 significantly reduced demand for overhead lighting during daytime hours, resulting in a decrease of electricity consumption by 12 per cent compared to 2022 despite a 22 per cent increase in exhibitors.

One of the most exciting new developments for IMEX Frankfurt 2023 was the use of 4 fully electric buses. These e-buses made continuous circuits from Messe Frankfurt to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, one of the largest rail transit centres in all of Europe. Of the 37,500 km travelled by IMEX Frankfurt contracted ground transport, an estimated 1,000 km were powered electrically. While commercial bus electrification is still an emerging technology, it expands the lower carbon transportation options (e-bus and rail) in the event transport mix.

Maritz Global Events’ Sustainability Challenge powered by Heka Health, gave attendees the opportunity to participate in a sustainability-focus scavenger hunt to discover the event’s sustainability practices as well as count their steps during their time in Frankfurt. Team New Zealand won the competition. Participants in Maritz Global Events’ Sustainability Challenge walked over 2,958,585 steps in two days!

Making sustainability education accessible to all

Engaging stakeholders and benefiting the destination community is at the core of IMEX’s mission and value. For the IMEX Frankfurt 2023 show, 58 young hospitality, event and tourism management students participated in the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum, while 61 attendees participated in the IMEX Frankfurt People & Planet Pledge to take significant sustainability steps before, during and after their time at the show.

Supporting education and literacy, 105 people attended AVoice4All sessions, a programme dedicated to designing and creating more inclusive events to elevate the thinking on some of today’s most important topics: from leadership skills to event spaces, from neuroinclusion to allyship, and much more.

Giving back to local communities

IMEX Frankfurt’s charitable support helped to benefit organisations such as Stiftung Waisenhaus Orphanage, ShoutOutLoud, and Caritasverband Frankfurt in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region.

IMEX also donated materials that are unable to be reused. 782kg of Hall 9 Turf was donated to Naturgarten e.V., while 40kg of blankets, t-shirts, and office supplies were donated to Frankfurt Bahnhofsmission. Additionally, 782kg of water bottles were donated to Messe Frankfurt and Frankfurt Convention Bureau, and 120kg or more of floral was donated to Messe Frankfurt staff and ShoutOutLoud. No exhibitor furniture was left behind during move out.

Championing positive impacts of meetings and events

For the second consecutive year IMEX Frankfurt achieved the highest tier of MeetGreen’s sustainability calculator, MeetGreen® Calculator 2.0. The tool allows organisations to benchmark their progress against their own efforts and other events of similar size and type. According to MeetGreen, in achieving the Sustainable Event Visionary tier, IMEX Frankfurt “leads within their own industry, prioritises measurement, and works to move the sustainability dial. Researches and develops new initiatives to improve environmental performance and uses the organisation’s buying power to drive change with venues and vendors.”

Jutta Heinrich, Director, Frankfurt Convention Bureau said, “Sustainability is one of the most important factors for successful events – today and in the future. The efforts of the host city play just as an important role as the planning of the event itself. Frankfurt is not only committed to preserving its many green spaces, but also to becoming climate-neutral by 2035. Our local business events industry is dedicated to sustainability in the areas of mobility, resources, catering and communication. As the host city of IMEX, we are pleased to welcome a pioneer of sustainable events to Frankfurt every year and to showcase the city’s overall commitment to sustainability.