More than 500,000 tons of solid waste were recycled at 8 events promoted by NürnbergMesse Brasil, one of the largest trade show organizers in Latin America, in 2024. The amount is the result of a project implemented the previous year, when the company decided to start segregating the waste produced during the meetings in order to minimize their impact on the environment. This was even before the practice became mandatory in the state of São Paulo. Since then, 607,000 tons have been reprocessed in the pavilions where the promoter has worked.
“Creating this dynamic of sustainability in collection was one of our biggest challenges, but also a milestone for the company. The leap we have seen in recycling from one year to the next reinforces, above all, the urgent need for effective solutions to mitigate the environmental impacts caused by the events sector, which are significant on a global scale,” says Diego de Carvalho, vice-president of NürnbergMesse Brasil.
An important point of the project was the adherence to on-site segregation, which the group implemented in 2023. Previously, the waste produced at events was disposed of in bins and then treated by the pavilion’s collection company. Now, the separation system is carried out 100% by the promoter during trade shows, which drastically increases the amount of waste recycled.
To give you an idea, in 2023, with the implementation of internal collection, the volume of recycled material was 107,000 tons, while in 2024, 500,000 tons were recycled – an increase of 367.3% compared to the previous year.
“Business connections and sustainability need to go hand in hand. Large-scale events, like the ones we do, bring thousands of people together in two or three days. Therefore, waste generation is high. That’s why contributing to a production chain, making it cleaner and showing the market that it’s possible to grow with environmental responsibility is essential,” emphasizes the executive.
The project began at the Catarina Aviation Show, a private plane event, and was later implemented at other major fairs organized by the company, such as FCE Pharma, FCE Cosmetique, PET South America, PET VET, Analitica Latin America, ABRAFATI SHOW, BFSHOW, among others. Today, all NürnbergMesse Brasil trade shows have an internal segregation system.
“Although we want to increase this number even further, our focus next year is on strengthening the system. We’re going to work on consolidating our sustainable policy among exhibitors so that they join us in making choices that have a lower environmental impact and further mitigate waste generation. More than just recycling the waste we generate, we now need to reduce its production. That’s the next step,” Diego concludes.
About NürnbergMesse Brasil
NürnbergMesse Brasil is one of the three largest event and exhibition organizers in the country. A subsidiary of the NürnbergMesse Group, it promotes the most important business meetings in Latin America, bringing together suppliers, distributors and resellers from various sectors of the economy. The company’s aim is to help the development of the national industry and Brazil’s relevance in foreign markets. Among the main events promoted in the country are Expo Revestir, Haus Decor Show, PET South America, PET VET, FCE Pharma, FCE Cosmetique, Analitica Latin America, Glass South America, ABRAFATI SHOW, Catarina Aviation Show and BFSHOW.
