Sustainability

Drinking water for all

Everyone can fill up their own drinking bottles free of charge at two drinking water taps provided by Join the Pipe(opens in a new window). According to current plans, the taps will be in central locations at the Agora.

We are supporting the Join the Pipe(opens in a new window) water project, which campaigns for access to clean drinking water for all people around the world and less plastic waste.

Fairshop sells Join the Pipe reusable drinking bottles

The purchase of BPA-free bottles made with sugar cane supports the Join the Pipe(opens in a new window) water project, which advocates for access to clean drinking water for all and less plastic waste. See the point above for more information.

Sustainable catering at the exhibition site

Regional catering at Frankfurter Buchmesse

Accente is our catering partner at Frankfurter Buchmesse. They are responsible for all catering at the exhibition grounds. The company has been continuously developing its sustainable offerings since 2013. 
This starts with the selection of regional producers and a focus on seasonal ingredients in the preparation of food, as well as the beverages offered. The vegetarian and vegan options for visitors will also be expanded.

Waste is reduced through the use of reusable dishes and utensils, as well as the avoidance of packaging material. Disposable dishes and utensils are made exclusively of recycled materials, renewable raw materials and compostable materials.

More on Accente’s concept: www.accente.com(opens in a new window) 

No carpeting in the majority of aisles

As an important step towards a more sustainable book fair with less waste, we have eliminated carpeting in most hall aisles. The main exceptions are hall levels 4.0 and 6.0, where carpeting is necessary due to safety regulations.

For better orientation and visitor guidance in the halls, we lay a red carpet strip in the vertical and perimeter aisles. This aisle carpet is Cradle to Cradle Certified® at the Bronze level. It is almost 100% recycled and, after use, reused as plastic granulate.

We have been reducing the carpeting in the hall aisles since 2021. By 2023 we reduced carpeting by approximately 15,000 square metres (approx. 5 tonnes of waste) by not laying carpet over the entire floor surface.

Further reduction in 2024 will enable us to cut an additional 15,000 square metres of carpeting compared to the previous year, thereby reducing overall waste by approximately 10 tonnes.

Our ready-made stands are based on a modular system

We offer customers ready-made stands called “system stands”. The system stands utilise materials that are used again for many years. By choosing a system stand, our exhibitors contribute to a more sustainable stand construction system.

Reduced material consumption combined with more sustainable materials for the construction of areas such as our stages, collective stands and work centres

We endeavour to use materials in a way that conserves resources. Wherever possible, we use sustainably produced carpet that is Cradle to Cradle Certified® at the Bronze level and more sustainable materials for graphics. We avoid PVC-printed chipboard to the greatest extent possible, because it cannot be returned to the material cycle.

In our Literary Agents & Scouts Centre, wall coverings are recovered and stored for reuse every year. From this year onwards, we will not use any wall panelling that does not allow for reuse in this way.

Digitalisation / Reduction of print materials

Through further digitalisation and a reduced reliance on printed materials, we are helping to further reduce CO2 emissions. We also offer free digital services, such as Frankfurt Connect(opens in a new window), the Buchmesse app or the buchmesse.de website, as centralised and up-to-date information hubs.