As Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, emphasises: “Within this framework, Messe Frankfurt bases its reporting on internationally recognised sustainability standards, which make it transparent, measurable and comparable. In an Early Adopter Programme initiated this year, the company took part in a test phase for the new reporting. The new requirements for this reporting will be mandatory for all companies as of 2023. UN Global Compact, the world’s most important initiative for sustainable corporate management, assists its 19,000-plus member companies in implementing sustainable business practices. These are based on its ten universal principles on the environment, labour standards, corruption prevention and human rights. It also helps them to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As Marcel Engel, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Germany, explains: “As a global initiative under the umbrella of the United Nations, we offer our participants a unique learning and exchange platform for making ongoing progress and putting sustainability into practice in their companies.” The central requirement for participating in UN Global Compact is to issue an annual sustainability report.
The Messe Frankfurt Group will continue to drive sustainable business practices in all areas of the company and at its events around the world. With the Sustainability Board (SB), we have set up a company body that includes senior management from different disciplines. Its function is to drive forward sustainable development – from the defined goals and measures to the ultimate implementation by the relevant departments. A Sustainability Governance Code provides the framework for the long-term planning and implementation of Messe Frankfurt’s sustainable orientation. For example, it aims to establish a sustainable value chain among suppliers and service providers. First and foremost, emissions are to be avoided and reduced. Waste is to be further reduced and 100 percent of unavoidable waste is to be incorporated into its closed-loop system. At present, over 90 percent of waste is either recycled or reused.
Messe Frankfurt’s progress reports for UN Global Compact can be found on the UN GC homepage at Messe Frankfurt GmbH | UN Global Compact.
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Background information on Messe Frankfurt
The Messe Frankfurt Group is one of the world’s leading trade fair, congress and event organisers with their own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of some 2,200 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. As in the previous year, annual sales for 2021 were significantly lower owing to the COVID-19 pandemic: approximately €154 million compared with Group sales as high as €736 million in pre-pandemic 2019. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. Sustainable business practices are a central pillar of our corporate strategy and strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity. Another of Messe Frankfurt’s strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services.
With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
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