Sustainability—our path to the future

At the start of 2020, Messe München switched completely to renewable electricity in order to take a further step toward becoming carbon-neutral and sustainable. Even in the preceding years, more than half the electricity needs were met using renewable energy. By switching completely to green electricity, around 6,400 tons of CO2 are saved annually in normal operation. The new exhibition halls C5 and C6, and the Conference Center North Messe München will be heated exclusively vi district heating that is powered largely by geothermal energy. Messe München is currently planning the further, gradual conversion of its heat supply to carbon-neutral sources.

The photovoltaic system on the roofs of the B trade fair halls supports the supply of green electricity on the exhibition grounds When it was commissioned back in 1998, it was the world’s first photovoltaic roof system with a peak output of over 1 megawatt—and to this day one of the world’s largest—and is still in full operation.

By using solar energy, Messe München avoids around 1,600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year that would be produced from using fossil fuels to generate electricity.

A sustainable concept was already adopted when the exhibition grounds were being built and has been continuously further optimized through a host of measures since operations began over 25 years ago. Messe München has a catalog of measures that is updated annually and details how it can continue to meet its high sustainability standard structurally and logistically. Currently in the planning phase are the continuation of the successful photovoltaic strategy and rapidly switching heat production in stages to carbon-neutral sources.

220,000 square meters of green space, around 2,500 trees, halls with planted exterior walls and 35,000 square meters of green roof – the Messe München exhibition grounds are literally green. Even decentralized parking and logistics areas for visitors to the world-leading trade fairs such as bauma are of ecological value. Created as ecologically high-quality and species-rich rough grassland areas with trees, they serve as recreational areas for the population for 98 percent of the time. A new, additional parking and logistics area, currently under construction, will be upgraded ecologically and connected via a green bridge so that it helps protect nature and the environment in the region.

Waste is a major challenge for events. At the same time, the careful use of resources has an important leverage effect on carbon reduction.

Ideally, waste should not be produced in the first place. Waste avoidance is therefore the top priority for Messe München. That requires close cooperation with the exhibitors, which is why a waste prevention guide has been developed to provide exhibitors (and their stand builders) with recommendations on how to avoid trade fair waste and reduce carbon emissions.

By revising its disposal strategy at the same time, Messe München wants to ensure that the remaining waste is fed back into material flows to a greater extent and recycled and disposed of properly and in a resource-conserving manner also in the future.