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Sustainability at IWCE / Informa Tech

We know sustainability is increasingly important to our attendees and exhibitors, as well as to our market as a whole. Running IWCE gives us lots of opportunities to improve our impacts environmentally, socially and economically in our host cities. We want to make our event more responsible and play a role in helping our markets improve its own sustainability through connecting people with the networks and knowledge they want to help solve the big challenges in our sector.

Sustainability at Informa Tech has five key elements: people, communities, environment, customers, and governance. Being an ethical, sustainable business is central to how we behave, how we make decisions, and how we do business every day. At Informa Tech, our evolution of producing sustainable events is fueled by insight, innovation, and collaboration. We are proud of our commitment to having a positive environmental and social impact on both the communities and industries we work within.

Learn more about our sustainability programs below.

IWCE Sustainability Initiatives

  • Re-use signage where applicable; recycle printed signage that cannot be re-used.
  • Replace printed signage with digital signage, where appropriate.
  • Partner with charitable organizations.
  • Support the local community by collaborating with local vendors when possible.
  • Reduce printed materials.

FasterForward is our approach to sustainability, moving faster to become a zero waste and net zero carbon business. A series of activities and commitments carried out between 2020-2025 will ensure our events become ever more sustainable, delivering a truly positive impact to the markets we serve. We will also actively help our partners, customers, and wider markets to achieve the same.

Our FasterForward commitments include:

  • Become carbon neutral across our events by 2025
  • Halve the waste generated through our events by 2025
  • Become zero waste and net zero carbon by 2030 or earlier
  • Embed sustainability inside 100% of our events by 2025

See the full list of commitments and find out more.

Sustainability at IWCE 2024

As part of our ongoing commitments to FasterForward and the Informa Tech goal to halve the waste generated by our products and events by 2025, you will notice something missing at IWCE 2024: aisle carpeting.

Why?

  • Informa Tech wants to produce events that are environmentally responsible. Shows that have the lowest carbon footprint are a great source of pride for us

  • Removing aisle carpet reduces an event’s waste, helping Informa reach its 2025 goal of 50% waste reduction and 2030 zero waste goal.

  • It also contributes to Informa’s goal of reducing emissions and reaching net zero carbon by 2030 or sooner. While carpet is often recycled, there are also emissions associated with the logistics of delivering carpet to the event, returning to a facility to be recycled and then the energy used to recycle said carpet.

What should I know?

  • Our decisions about conference carpeting will not infringe on exhibitor booth carpeting - if you would still like carpeting in your booth, you are free to do so.
  • We are committed to doing our part when it comes to sustainability. While this shift away from carpeting might make our Expo Hall look and feel different, it's essential to reduce waste and emissions wherever we can. We appreciate your understanding and participation in this commitment.

What Can Exhibitors Do To Reduce Waste?

What Exhibitors Can Do To Reduce Signage Waste

  1. Encourage less printing and provide more information digitally when it comes to booth literature, fulfilling requests via email and website referrals 
  2. If you must print, create reusable non-dated signs that can be used year after year
  3. Avoid foam core signs and request recyclable material such as cardboard signag

What Exhibitors Can Do To Reduce Booth Waste

  1. Request sustainable options from GES
  2. BYOF!- Avoid carpet and bring your own flooring, like puzzle foam flooring that can be reused at all your shows
  3. Break down ALL cardboard boxes and put in the correct recycling bin
  4. Request additional booth bins for recycling and compost collection
  5. Use only compostable or recyclable service ware for samples and give-a-ways
  6. Use the stickers provided at the Exhibitor Services desk to mark your materials for recycling or donation
  7. Set a goal to leave no trace behind by shipping out all booth properties and packing materials and donating extra giveaways