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Messe Frankfurt once again validated according to EMAS

9 Nov 2026

On 6 November, Messe Frankfurt successfully completed the external revalidation of its environmental management system in accordance with EMAS. This marks the beginning of a new three-year cycle. The revalidation confirms the effectiveness of the systematic approach taken by Messe Frankfurt, which involves recording the environmental impact at its Frankfurt base, examining measures and constantly improving its environmental performance.

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Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, said: “As a leading international organiser of trade fairs, congresses and events with our own exhibition grounds in Frankfurt, we assume responsibility for all areas of our company and for our working relationship with our partners. It is only possible to improve our environmental performance by recording impacts transparently, assuming responsibility and gauging our progress on a regular basis. EMAS gives us a binding framework for this.”

This responsibility applies to operating the exhibition grounds and to running events. Accordingly, Messe Frankfurt’s environmental statement documents key figures on energy and fuel consumption, water and wastewater, emissions, material usage, waste, land use and biodiversity.

As Dr Christine von Schildt, Member of the Messe Frankfurt Executive Board, explains: “Exhibition grounds are complex infrastructures. If operators want to improve their environmental performance, they must know exactly where resources are being used during events and during periods without events. For us, EMAS means having reliable data to base decisions on: reducing consumption, aligning investments with efficiency and integrating environmental criteria into the working relationship we have with our partners. The external audit shows us what we have achieved and which areas need further work.”

Messe Frankfurt met its environmental targets in the first EMAS cycle from 2023 to 2025. This included reducing basic electricity consumption by ten percent compared with 2019. It also developed concepts for a climate-resilient green area management system and for reducing water from hygiene flushing. Messe Frankfurt reduced water consumption in the Torhaus by ten percent measured against the average consumption between 2015 and 2019. As well as this, 60 percent of indoor banner materials from the main supplier were switched over to recycled products.

The revalidation covers the activities of Messe Frankfurt and also of its Frankfurt-based subsidiaries: Messe Frankfurt Venue GmbH, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, Messe Frankfurt Medien und Service GmbH and Accente Gastronomie Service GmbH.

Developed by the European Union, EMAS is an environmental management system that helps companies to systematically record their main effects on the environment, to set targets for improvement, to examine results on a regular basis and to conform with legal requirements relating to the environment. Having an independent audit and a public environmental statement ensures that the environmental performance and areas of activity are verifiable and transparent. The requirements of the international environmental management norm ISO 14001 are part of the EMAS environmental management system.