Sustainability as the cornerstone of our actions

We are much more than a simple event venue. As an integral part of society, we understand our responsibility for our planet. Therefore, our primary concern is to continuously develop in the area of sustainability and to shape a sustainable future.

We are aware that sustainability does not only have an impact on the environment, but also on people and communities. That is why we take responsibility for our employees, exhibitors, visitors and numerous service providers.

The city of Dortmund has formulated the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035. As a municipal company, we are committed to making our contribution to this goal. We are already implementing a large number of measures aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. These include the exclusive use of 100% green electricity, the integration of photovoltaic systems on all modernized roof surfaces, the implementation of heat recovery systems in our exhibition halls, and extensive conversions to LED technology.

In addition, we offer environmentally friendly travel options such as the DB event ticket for long-distance travel, support with the Deutschlandticket and BikeLeasing for our employees. With regard to travel by car, our company vehicle fleet is in a progressive process of conversion to e-drives, accompanied by a continuous expansion of the charging infrastructure already in place on our premises.

Our catering services are gradually being converted to regional and ecological offerings, and we are increasingly relying on reusable solutions for concerts and trade fairs.

The future will see further initiatives, including the conversion of heating to district heating and the migration of our websites to green hosting.

We are proud to be a driving force for change towards a more sustainable future and will continue to strive to continuously expand and optimize our measures.

Our contribution to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals are the compass for our sustainable actions. In the areas of education, gender equality, sustainable consumption and production, and climate protection measures, we take responsibility and thus contribute to achieving the goals.

We combine economy and ecology

We use environmentally friendly technology, protect the environment in many ways and have already received several awards for this.

fairpflichtet.de

Westfalenhallen "fairpflichten sich" (commits itself fairly)

The Westfalenhallen Group has adopted the sustainability code of the German-speaking event industry.
By signing the code and obtaining the "fairpflichtet" seal, the company supports ten guidelines for sustainable action.
These guidelines cover aspects such as sustainable management and strategic orientation, responsibility towards the region to promote the common good, the conscious use of resources and energy, and a commitment to combating discrimination and corruption.
The complete guidelines are available on the "fairpflichtet" website.

fairpflichtet.de

Photovoltaics

Photovoltaic systems in Halls 3, 6, 7 and 8 of the Westfalenhallen Group
Three systems belong to DEW21, one belongs to the Group itself
Total system generates around 1.4 megawatt hours of solar power per year
Sufficient to supply around 550 three-person households
Corresponds to around one fifth of the annual electricity consumption of Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe GmbH
Awarded the European Solar Prize 2005 in the category "Owners or operators of photovoltaic systems" by EUROSOLAR

Green energy

The Westfalenhallen Group, including Messe Dortmund, has successfully switched to green energy as of 01.01.2021.
This step is an important milestone on our way to climate neutrality in the event industry.
Our green energy comes from DEW21, a reputable regional energy provider from Dortmund.
This electricity is certified and emphasizes our commitment to environmentally friendly energy sources and our contribution to CO2 reduction in our industry.
We are actively committed to a sustainable and climate-neutral future.

Effective measures for sustainability:

Environmentally friendly heating and heat recovery ventilation systems
Motion detectors and timers to reduce electricity consumption
Energy-saving LED lighting in Hall 4, parking garages and hotel
Modern building management system
Working guidelines for energy saving
Use of daylight and optimized lighting control
Effective sun protection
Temperature management in hotel rooms with automatic night-time shutdown
Recycling management in accordance with environmental regulations
Environmentally friendly cleaning in all business areas with certification

Mobility

Social benefits for our employees

The well-being and satisfaction of our employees are at the heart of our sustainable corporate philosophy.

The Westfalenhallen Group offers its team members a wide range of social benefits:

Flexible working hours (flexitime) for an individual work-life balance.
Support in balancing family and career
Remuneration in accordance with the collective wage agreements of the public sector (TVÖD)
Active health management to promote well-being
Continuing education and training opportunities for professional development
Option for mobile working to ensure flexibility
Company pension plan for financial security in old age
Subsidy for the Deutschlandticket for convenient mobility
Parking facilities for a comfortable working day
Meal allowance to support meals at the workplace

Our social benefits help ensure that our employees work in a pleasant environment and can continuously develop personally and professionally.

Engagement at trade fairs

The topic of sustainability is a central concern for us, which we consistently integrate at all our events and trade fairs. Our goal is to make our visitors aware of the importance of sustainability and to raise their awareness of this issue. We actively promote this by regularly inviting schools and kindergartens to our trade fairs in order to get the younger generation excited about sustainability.

At our own trade shows, we invite high-profile speakers to give presentations on social, environmental and/or economic topics to promote a deeper understanding of these important areas.

In order to keep our carbon footprint as low as possible, we rely on long-standing, trusting supplier and service provider relationships and pay attention to regional proximity.

Our exhibitors also have the option of using sustainable products and services such as environmentally friendly carpets, sustainable trade show construction, ecologically oriented catering, environmentally conscious cleaning and certified event technology.

Compliance

The Westfalenhallen Group of Companies stands for diversity, professional competence, customer orientation and committed, responsible employees. These values form the basis for our excellent reputation and the long-term success of the company in a highly competitive environment.

Corruption poses a serious threat to these success factors and is consistently rejected in our company.

With our compliance program, Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe GmbH has taken comprehensive measures to ensure that anti-corruption regulations and company-wide guidelines are strictly observed. Violations are consistently punished and lead to sanctions against the persons concerned.

Every employee is called upon to actively contribute to the implementation of the compliance program in his/her area of responsibility.

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We are FamUnDo certified!

FamUnDo is a consulting and qualification program initiated by the Dortmund Economic Development Agency for companies of all sectors and sizes, which provides them with suitable tools and valuable impulses for action in order to support employees in the best possible way in reconciling their individual life planning with their career, even under the new social conditions.

Sustainable responsibility