Circularity in action: 1,250 kg of STILL trade fair stand materials get a second life in social institutions
Everyone is talking about sustainability. STILL doesn’t just talk about it; it takes action - and not only with regard to vehicle manufacturing and use. In line with its holistic sustainability strategy, the company also prioritises regional sourcing, circularity, and the consistent reuse and recycling of valuable resources at its events. At this year's LogiMAT, the leading intralogistics trade fair, 1,250 kg of exhibition materials were 'saved' and donated to charities for reuse. This alone resulted in a saving of 4,793 kg of CO₂ equivalent, roughly equivalent to 21 flights between Zurich and London.
To ensure that its trade fair presence is as resource-efficient as possible, STILL has been working with the reuse specialist Trash Galore for three years. The aim is to reuse and recycle as much trade fair construction material as possible. With success: Trash Galore passed on 1,250 kg of material that was not suitable for reuse in trade fair or event construction to charitable organisations, thus keeping it within the resource cycle.
Focus on regional institutions
When it comes to distributing the materials, Trash Galore also pays particular attention to reducing emissions. Accordingly, initiatives in the Stuttgart area were prioritised: five regional organisations received steel sections, textiles, and various floor coverings that had been used on the trade fair stand. The Wagenhallen Art Association and the non-profit community centre El Palito e.V. were delighted to receive 843 kg of steel sections in total. They intend to use these to build heavy-duty shelving, providing more storage space and structure within their facilities. The Halle 16 art project space and the SWEAT Festival received substantial donations of carpets and banners for use in designing their event spaces. At the Lederschmiede leather workshop, an inclusive social enterprise run by Caritas Stuttgart, many metres of white banners from the STILL trade fair stand are being lovingly transformed by hand into durable bags and accessories. Further PVC and carpet flooring was transported back to Hamburg as part of STILL’s material transport operations and handed over to the Hanseatic Help e.V. aid organisation. Thanks to the organisation’s regular aid convoys to crisis-hit areas, these materials have found a new and useful purpose in Ukraine. "In addition to reusing and repurposing elements of our trade fair stand ourselves or through our stand-building partner, donating trade fair materials to social institutions has become an integral part of our event concept," says Jan Christoph Sachse, Senior Director Marketing & Brand Communications at STILL. "We are delighted that this allows us to preserve valuable resources within the raw materials cycle and put them to meaningful and immediate further use. This approach is in line with our vision of a responsible circular economy."
The full re-use report from Trash Galore can be viewed here.
Sustainability at STILL: A transparent and informative summary
You can find a comprehensive overview of STILL’s sustainability activities, along with the latest news and certificates, on the company’s sustainability page. The STILL Sustainability Report provides detailed information on the company's sustainability strategy, along with all relevant facts and figures.
