UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, has updated its database of initiatives and projects that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The resource showcases work done by organisers, venues and suppliers to help achieve these goals. The UFI Working Group on Sustainability began the database in collaboration with Greenview.
The updated report, “The Exhibition Industry and the UN SDGs: Connecting People, Multiplying Impact” is available at www.ufi.org/unsdg where details of the 25 submissions are also available.
These submissions cover the following 14 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK and the US. Each contribution falls in one of the three following categories:
- Type I: exhibition theme - how the theme of the exhibition contributes to the SDGs
- Type II: exhibition operation - how the operator of the exhibition contributes to the SDGs
- Type III: company’s operations - how a company’s operations contribute to the SDGs.
Five leading areas of best practices for the exhibition industry were identified:
- Spreading awareness about SDGs and advancing sustainable industries
- Taking consumption seriously and prioritising local suppliers
- Combating waste with collaborative efforts
- Putting it down in ink – stipulating environmental terms in contracts
- Unveiling the secret to affordable and clean energy
UFI President Mary Larkin commented: "Making our industry more sustainable in all aspects of the word is vital not only for our future but is also a moral obligation to the survival of our planet. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework where all businesses can show their respective contributions, and UFI is very happy to position the exhibition industry in this exercise.”
