Consumers increasingly want to feel positive about the things they surround themselves with. They are becoming more mindful and critical when shopping, are generally well informed and ask about the origin, production, materials and social compatibility of the products. Retailers have recognised this and are responding to customer demands with recyclable and fair trade projects, for example. But which suppliers and which products are actually sustainable? The Special Interest Ethical Style at Ambiente provides answers.
A total of 160 companies, 85 of them new entries and 75 exhibitors from the previous event, who also received confirmation for 2022, were selected for the curated directory by the jury of experts. In the process, they have proven that they produce according to ecological and socially responsible criteria. Now they can be found in the online exhibitor search using the Ethical Style filter function and will receive a notice at their stand on site at Ambiente.
"The Special Interest Ethical Style is a valuable tool for contemporary and future-oriented retailers and guides trade fair visitors across all product ranges to companies that present sustainably and socially responsible products", says Yvonne Engelmann, Director Ambiente Living & Giving, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH. Six clearly defined categories form the guidlines. These are: environmentally friendly material, resource-saving production, fair and social production, re- or upcycling design as well as handicraft and sustainable innovation.
An independent jury of international experts decides which companies and products are included. The jury consists of Christina Bocher (DEKRA Assurance Services GmbH), Kees Bronk (CBI, Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries), Lutz Dietzold (German Design Council), Max Gilgenmann (expert for textile sustainability criteria), Sabine Meyer (Side by Side, Caritas Wendelstein Werkstätten) and Mimi Sewalski (avocadostore.de).
Among others, the expert jury chose Originalhome and its example of "conscious living". "Organic interior design that really makes a difference is Originalhome's mission. They have defined eight impact categories that include environmentally friendly products and production processes as well as ethical and social responsibility. By providing information about the social and environmental impact of each product, they aim to support conscious consumer choices. In addition, Originalhome is working to offset its CO2 emissions in order to be climate neutral," says jury member Christina Bocher, explaining her decision.
Vasap Design was also able to convince the jury and its member Max Gilgenmann: "Vasap Design stands out from the mainstream in a sustainable way because they produce exclusively with recycled plastic and have set up their own recycling cycle, including a public welfare-oriented cooperation with local waste collectors in Brazil. This is how plastic makes sense and it convinced us."
Koziol's long preliminary work paid off and impressed the jury: "Koziol, the leading brand for plastic household goods, spent a year in the laboratory developing a new material made of cellulose fibres and thermoplastics. This makes the articles 100 percent recyclable. This puts Koziol at the forefront of the sustainability discussion in its category. Today's new Millennial and Generation Z consumers, who say climate change is their biggest concern, will appreciate this," says jury member Kees Bronk.
Beyond the Special Interest Ethical Style, there are also valuable sustainable projects to be discovered at Ambiente. Here, for example, the MADE51 initiative stands out, which is taking part in Ambiente for the fourth time as part of a special presentation. The initiative under the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will once again be showing unique, handmade home and fashion accessories in Galleria 0, which are made in refugee camps in over 30 countries around the world. Through its participation in Ambiente, MADE51 has received commissions from major international brands, among others, who have been willing to include refugee artisans in their supply chains, thus providing them with an income as well as recognition and appreciation.
The exhibitor search with the filter function for the Special Interest Ethical Style is available at the following link:
ambiente.messefrankfurt.com/ethicalstyle-exhibitors
The next Ambiente will take place from 11 to 15 February 2022.
Note for journalists:
Discover inspirational ideas, trends, styles and personalities in the Ambiente Blog.
Press information and photographic material:
www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com/journalisten
On social media:
www.facebook.com/ambientefair I www.twitter.com/ambiente
www.instagram.com/ambientefair I www.ambiente-blog.com
Hashtag: #ambiente22
Ambiente
Ambiente is the leading international trade fair and the world’s number one in products associated with dining, cooking, household items, furnishings and ornaments, interior design, gifts and fashion accessories. In 2020 Ambiente opened a dedicated hall for the hotel, restaurant and catering industry (HoReCa), thus establishing itself as the leading international front of house platform. As a global contract business hotspot Ambiente has a strong emphasis on the international contract market. It is “The Show” for the entire industry. The breadth and width of its unrivalled product range make Ambiente unique throughout the world. Ambiente 2020 featured 4,582 exhibitors from 92 countries, attracted around 101,000 trade visitors from 158 countries and presented classic and innovative products over a period of five days. Moreover, this most important global consumer goods exhibition offers a wide range of industry events, programmes for newcomers, trend presentations and award ceremonies.
Nextrade – the digital marketplace
The digital ordering and data management system for suppliers and retailers in the consumer goods industry extends the trade fair and allows orders to be placed at any time of day or night, 365 days a year. www.nextrade.market
Conzoom Solutions – the platform for retailers
Conzoom Solutions is a knowledge platform that offers the consumer goods industry a wide range of studies, trend presentations, workshops and guidelines for the point of sale. It provides a complete overview of Messe Frankfurt’s international portfolio in the consumer goods sector – bundling a wide range of information for retailers.
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
The Messe Frankfurt Group is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. The Group employs approximately 2,300* people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 30 subsidiaries around the world. In 2021, the company had to contend with the challenges posed by the pandemic for the second consecutive year. Annual sales will be approximately €140* million after having been as high as €736 million in 2019 before the pandemic. Even in difficult times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we are globally networked with our industry sectors. We have close ties with our industry sectors and serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of the Group’s key USPs is its closely knit global sales network, which extends throughout the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are expanding our digital expertise with new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
* Preliminary figures for 2021
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