Sustainability—paving the way for the future

Question: The adjustment of the target was necessary in order to continue to meet new legal requirements for the communication of a corporate climate target in the future. What does this mean for Messe München?

Jana Burns: Since the previous commitment was announced five years ago, there have been more specific legal requirements for corporate climate targets. Companies that declare a net zero target must therefore reduce the majority of their greenhouse gas emissions and follow the principle of “reduction before compensation”. Only unavoidable residual emissions, which account for approximately 10% of the carbon footprint, may be offset by so-called neutralization projects—i.e., measures for permanent CO₂e removal. Traditional compensation payments to third parties are important for global climate protection, but they are not considered a contribution to achieving science-based net zero targets.

Sophie Orthuber: For Messe München, these specific requirements also mean that the reduction plan will be extended to the entire group. Emissions from the upstream and downstream value chain will also be taken into account. In addition to CO2, other greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide and methane contribute to global warming. These will also be included in our reduction plan in the future in accordance with scientific standards. This means that with the new target, we are not scaling back our climate protection ambitions but are rather expanding them. By the new target year of 2050, significantly more emissions are to be reduced than was envisaged under the previous voluntary commitment for 2030. Messe München is acting within the framework of the Paris Climate Agreement and can take relevant sector and country targets into account in its strategy.

Question: What is the process for developing the climate strategy?

Jana Burns: For the past year 2024, Messe München has prepared its first group-wide corporate carbon footprint, which also takes into account emissions from the value chain and emissions from subsidiaries worldwide. This provides the data basis for the development of a data- and science-based reduction plan.

Since 2009, Messe München has already reduced energy-related greenhouse gas emissions at its Munich location by 75 percent. An important lever in this was the switch to the purchase of green electricity. This shows that Messe München is already well on its way. The task now is to use the remaining potential for reducing emissions in this area and extend it to the entire group.

Sophie Orthuber: When it comes to reducing emissions from the value chain, the focus is on the four largest hotspot categories, which account for over 90% of total emissions: participant mobility, i.e., emissions from visitors and exhibitors traveling to and from our own events, as well as commuting behavior on site, purchased goods and services, waste, and employee business travel.

Once the strategy has been finalized, we will report transparently on the path, the interim targets, and, in the future, the progress made toward achieving the targets from mid-2026 onwards.

Transparency and credibility are at the heart of the new climate strategy and are crucial for the traceability and success of emission reduction measures.

Question: What challenges arise in developing the climate strategy?

Jana Burns: With the ambitious goal of “Net Zero 2050,” Messe München is committed to developing and implementing measures that contribute to a continuous reduction in emissions within its sphere of influence.

However, achieving this goal outside Messe München's sphere of influence is highly dependent on the climate goals and steady progress of other companies and sectors, particularly with regard to energy supply and participant mobility. For example, we are dependent on the purchase of district heating for our energy supply. We cannot decarbonize this ourselves but are dependent on the available infrastructure.

Another dependency on other sectors exists in the area of participant mobility. Messe München sees it as its responsibility to make its contribution and, together with partners, promote sustainable travel behavior—for example, through incentive systems, targeted communication, and awareness-raising. However, its own sphere of influence in these categories is limited. In order to reduce emissions to zero, Messe München is dependent on the energy, aviation, and transportation sectors, both in Germany and internationally, and trusts that they too will adhere to the objectives of the Paris Agreement and gradually decarbonize by 2050.

Sophie Orthuber: At the same time, Messe München is convinced of the added value of personal encounters at its events. Trade fairs efficiently bundle international business trips in one place, thereby reducing the need for travel compared to decentralized individual appointments. This is also confirmed by a study by AUMA—the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry—which shows that trade fairs contribute to reducing individual business travel.