Sustainability high on the agenda

Hot on the heels of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, the importance of sustainability and reducing our carbon footprints has never been more topical. FIT Show event director Nickie West explains how sustainability will play a part in FIT Show 2022.

At the last FIT Show, sustainability was something that a large proportion of businesses knew they should be placing greater emphasis on, but were they really doing enough?

The importance of sustainability has increased dramatically over the last three years since FIT Show 2019. It’s a topic that we have tried to address as part of the learning programme but have often been met with a reluctance from companies to share the credentials for fear of not going far enough to tackle their impact on the environment.

However, with the rise in prominence of global warming and climate change across the globe, we have seen a real shift in brands that we are working with now flying the flag for sustainability and shouting about how they have adapted their policies and working practices to reduce their carbon footprints.

We’re working with brands such as Veka Recycling to ensure that there is a broad mixture of content and case studies that address this theme at FIT Show 2022. We want to shine a light on the companies that are making waves with sustainability. We will be providing practical advice and support to companies who are looking to improve their own credentials. We’ll also be connecting our visitors with the best products and services available on the market to help them to be more sustainable at the show.

Dale Frost, who is a senior buyer for Evander, and preregistered to visit FIT Show. He said: “I will be visiting FIT Show in May to look at every commodity, from aluminium through to glass, installation equipment and processors. But I’ll specifically be looking for sustainable options. We want to reduce our carbon footprint. It’s high on our agenda for the next few years, so anything that will help us do that will be great.”

Andrew Garrido, sales director at Meridian Homes, said: “For me, FIT Show is the best place to speak to manufacturers directly, rather than receiving emails and PDFs. You’re able to see the products up close and speak to people face to face. I’m really looking forward to it.”

FIT Show 22 will bring every link in the supply chain together, all under one roof, for the first time in three years. Visitors can save time, money and reduce their carbon footprints by meeting all of their suppliers in one place and comparing all of the latest products side-by-side.

In terms of our own sustainable credentials, we are always looking at ways to reduce waste at the show. One of the biggest changes that people will see at FIT 22 is the fact that we will no longer be producing a printed show guide. We’ll be reducing print as much as possible owing to the amount of waste produced.

At a head office level, we have our own sustainability committee and work closely with event industry trade bodies such as the AEO, AEV and ESSA to follow the latest guidelines on running sustainable events. But we could always do more, and we are committed to do so.