Focusing strongly on sustainability within the trade fair space, IFES International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services (IFES) continues to partner with sustainability ambassadors wherever the partnership lessens the impact of exhibitions on the environment and advances a sustainable eventing journey.
As part of this drive, IFES measured and fully offset the CO2 impact of one of their official exhibition pavilions in February this year. At the EuroShop 2023, part of this initiative was to make eco-conscious choices around the types of materials used for the IFES Global Village and Expo&Event Stage. With carpeting known to be a significant contributor to the exhibition waste product, IFES’ chose their carpet supplier especially carefully.
Montecolino, an IFES member which has developed a sophisticated carpet management system that transforms used carpeting into a new raw material for further use, generously sponsored this aspect of this event. Montecolino spa creates Wèp panels from the recovered waste carpet which can be used to build flat-pack furniture or printable panels for future exhibition booths. Montecolino supplied 1,032 m2 of Tris Spagna Eco needle-punched carpet with the specification that it was recovered and recycled after use. Because of the measures implemented, this IFES event generated only 16 tons of CO2 emissions, which were subsequently offset using gold standard certificates supporting a wind farm project in Turkey.
Four months later, the IFES World Summit 2023 took place in Singapore. As a leader in green urban development, this destination was an ideal choice for the Summit. Multiple sessions, presentations, and panels included a focus on sustainability approaches in Singapore and South-East Asia in meeting venues that embraced environmentally friendly measures to reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact.
IFES also emphasised a healthy lifestyle, organising a guided morning run around the Marina Bay area, a Tai Chi break, and a very active tourist program at the end of the World Summit. Participants in the Green Singapore Tourist Program got to explore nature along the Northern Shores (Punggol-Coney-Pasir Ris), bike through the coastal forests and go “plogging” to clear the coast of Coney Island and the waterways of Punggol of plastic waste.
It seemed particularly fitting that during this event, the Organisers were presented with a stylised reproduction of the well-known Singapore Merlion created by Montecolino from the former event’s recycled carpet product.
“We decided to design a version of the Merlion, the famous statue with a lion’s head and a fish’s body which is the symbol of Singapore as a tangible representation of our shared vision for a future-proof trade-fair industry. While this Merlion is, of course, a recyclable product, we hope it will become a permanent testimony to IFES’ commitment to spreading sustainability throughout the global exhibition industry,” says Nico Fontana, Chief Executive Officer of Montecolino spa.
####
0 Comments