The system provider IBC Solar has realised a very special concept for its trade fair stand at smarter E Europe in Munich. For the third time, the company has set up its exhibition space without additional flooring and entirely with reusable materials.
Wood and scaffolding elements used
The entire stand is made of wood, some of which will be stored for next year after the trade fair or donated to charitable organisations for reuse. All superstructures were realised with scaffolding elements and the company logos and visible information are not printed on the hangers, but made of lightweight plastic. These are attached with magnets. The hangers are also simple fabric panels that are recycled.
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Simply by dispensing with the stand floor - much to the displeasure of Messe München - the company saves around seven tonnes of material that would have been thrown away after the trade fair anyway. Overall, it has succeeded in making the stand 98 per cent recyclable.
25 exhibition stands honoured
IBC Solar won the Sustainable Exhibitor Award for this cradle-to-cradle design principle. The Sustainable Trade Events Partnership (STEP) and EUPD Research created and awarded the sustainability prize. Of the 3,008 trade fair exhibitors, only 25 companies received the award. IBC Solar actually achieved gold status for its exhibition stand based on the Cradle to Cradle design principle and its high level of commitment to sustainability.
98 per cent recyclable
The company thus demonstrates that a sustainably orientated trade fair presence is possible - and that the trade fair landscape also needs to become more environmentally friendly. "We are very proud of this award," says Dirk Haft, Managing Director of IBC Solar. "Since 2022, we have already achieved a recyclability rate of 98 per cent by using natural, ideally single-variety products such as domestic wood, aluminium or acrylic glass. This year is no exception. We can easily separate the materials used for the exhibition stand and return them to either the technical or biological cycle."
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Only 200 kilograms of waste - out of ten tonnes of material
Of the approximately 10.two tonnes of material used for the exhibition stand, around ten tonnes are returned to the cycle. "A sustainable trade fair concept is the logical continuation of our corporate philosophy," emphasises Dirk Haft. "We are aware of our ecological responsibility and topics such as resource conservation and recycling are particularly important to us." (su)
