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Our social responsibility
CSR @Grüne Woche and Messe Berlin
For Messe Berlin and Grüne Woche, corporate social responsibility means acting responsibly for Berlin: not only for our city’s business and social communities but also for our business partners and employees.
Whether if affects projects that involve social responsibility or measures concerning environmental and climate protection, sustainability has played an important role at Messe Berlin for many years. By submitting a correlation statement regarding the German Sustainability Code for the first time for the fiscal year 2020 we also paved the way for a Sustainability Report. The German Sustainability Code (DNK) assists companies in establishing and building their sustainability strategy. You can find more information in our first publication, the 2020 Sustainability Report (PDF, 3.3 MB)
CSR at Grüne Woche
As Grüne Woche - we see ourselves as a platform for diversity and inclusion. We actively promote a barrier-free visit to the fair that enables everyone to fully experience and enjoy our event. To this end, we offer a range of measures, including
- Wheelchair rental: our wheelchair rental service ensures that guests with mobility impairments can navigate the exhibition halls comfortably without having to rely on external assistance.
- Handicap tours: Our specially trained guides offer tailored tours for visitors with a range of impairments to ensure they can experience all exhibitions and activities to the best of their ability.
- Barrier-free website:On our Barrier-free side we inform about all services regarding a Barrier-free fair visit. The page is written in easy language and includes sign language videos to make information about Grüne Wooche even more accessible and make it easier for our guests to attend.
Sustainable stand construction
It is crucial not only to present high-quality products, but also to take responsibility for the environment and society when planning your trade fair presence. This can usually be achieved by making small adjustments. For example, sustainable and recyclable options such as certified wood or environmentally friendly printing inks can be used when selecting materials. Energy consumption can also be optimized by opting for energy-efficient lighting and electronic devices.
- A 'best practice' for sustainable stand construction was the BMUV's stand design at Grüne Woche 2023. Learn more (PDF, 2.0 MB).
- Your checklist for sustainable trade fair planning that covers all aspects of stand design and construction, but also takes logistics, travel and accessibility into account: Sustainable event planningSustainable event planning
Food rescue
The initiative of Berliner Tafel e.V. in cooperation with Messe Berlin GmbH enables to donate remains of food to people in need.
This year, the Berliner Tafel collected around 11 tons of food donations. Compared to the previous year, donations have almost doubled.
Deposit boxes
For the first time there will be deposit collection boxes in the main entrance areas of the fair. Our guests can donate their bottles with deposit at these collection points. The collected donations will completely benefit the Berliner Tafel. Learn more (website in german only).
CSR at Messe Berlin
The latest environmental protection standards are an essential criterion when selecting service providers.
Here are some examples of measures that have been implemented so far:
Resource Conservation
- Since 2015 Messe Berlin's energy management system has been certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001.
- Indoor and outdoor lighting of the halls and radio tower has been converted to energy-saving LED technology to the maximum extent possible. An energy-optimized switching concept for the outdoor lighting was implemented.
- The energy company E.ON becomes an energy partner of Messe Berlin and realizes a future-oriented energy project together with us. By 2025, E.ON will switch the cooling and heating supply of the exhibition grounds to predominantly climate-friendly technologies. Among other things, a modern pellet boiler plant is being built that will make us less dependent on natural gas and oil. In the future, various heat sources will thus work in combination and - in addition to significant energy, CO² and cost savings - ensure greater independence from individual energy sources and thus greater security of supply. The project will start in the fall of 2023: The conversion will take place during ongoing operations and is a technologically highly demanding project. The contract with E.ON runs for 15 years. The external procurement of electricity for event weddings has been 100% "green" from German hydropower plants since 2018.
- The exhibition halls are equipped with heat recovery systems, i.e. all residual heat is used and not lost to the atmosphere.
- The grounds of Messe Berlin have numerous rainwater infiltration systems that enable rainwater to replenish the groundwater after natural purification. The automatic irrigation system manages the irrigation of the garden areas as needed.
- The stand constructions commissioned by Grüne Woche are selected so that they may be reused as long as possible (usually for multiple years). Likewise, environmentally-compatible building materials, paints and varnishes are used whenever possible.
Cleaning / Winter weather services / Mobility
- We use biodegradable cleaning agents.
- The cleaning company contracted by Messe Berlin is certified to ISO 9001 and 14001. We are mindful of recycling systems for cleaning machines and that the equipment used is predominantly electrically-powered.
- Salt is only used on surfaces which have a high risk of accidents; otherwise grit is used.
- The exhibition center is centrally-located and optimally connected to the public transport network. We recommend that exhibitors and visitors use the public transport network. Special tickets are available in cooperation with Deutsche Bahn. For Grüne Woche, we also offer a free shuttle service between the parking lot at the Olympic Stadium and the exhibition grounds, thus reducing traffic in the urban core zone.
- For example, have you already thought about choosing a hotel for your overnight stay that is within walking distance of the exhibition center? Many hotels are closer than you think! Hotels near by (PDF, 322.1 kB)
- The use of public transport by employees is encouraged by offering discounted monthly passes. In addition, Messe Berlin offers job bikes.
- Numerous charging stations for electric automobiles have been installed around the exhibition grounds.
These and other measures are summarized up on the Messe Berlin website.
Social commitment
- Exhibitors at Grüne Woche are asked to help people in need by donating leftover food to the Berlin food bank. We provide a stand to the Berlin food bank to make this process easy and simple for exhibitors, who then receive extensive logistical support for transporting the food to distribution points in the city as quickly as possible.
- As the operator of the radio tower, Messe Berlin supports WWF’s global joint initiative Earth Hour. The aim of the campaign is to send a powerful signal all over the world: protect our planet. Messe Berlin is committed to holistic diversity management.
- At Messe Berlin, we are committed to holistic diversity management.
As a signatory to the "Diversity Charter", Messe Berlin has been committed to actively implementing diversity within the company since 2015.
Messe Berlin successfully implemented the "Equal Pay Check" in December 2014.
Together with the Alliance, we are working towards a prejudice-free society.