Successful environmental initiatives at this year’s Nor-Fishing

Nor-Fishing is dedicated to minimizing its environmental and climate footprint as much as possible.

– The Nor-Fishing exhibition has carried out several effective measures that safeguard the climate and the environment. In addition, the measures have ensured a better exhibition experience for both exhibitors and visitors, says Kristian Digre, managing director of the Nor-Fishing Foundation.

The importance of recycling

Nor-Fishing 2024 featured 533 exhibitors, and a survey conducted among this year’s participants revealed that 85% of the booths were repurposed.

– The exhibitors are concerned about the environment and reuse, and it is financially profitable. We will work actively in the coming years to further increase reuse. In close collaboration with Retura, we carried out a source sorting project before, during and after this year’s exhibition. Sorting waste benefits both ecological health and economic growth, Digre says.

The dedication of both the exhibitors and suppliers contributed significantly to a highly successful execution.

According to Digre, source sorting also contributes to lower costs linked to waste management.

Streamlining Transportation

A dedicated freight forwarder is responsible for managing the transportation of goods to the exhibition area. They gather all items, allowing vehicles to be fully loaded before proceeding to the exhibition site. As a result, Nor-Fishing has successfully decreased the movement of goods in and out of the exhibition area by 90%. This reduction leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions and minimizes noise disturbances for nearby residents.

Easy access to the exhibition area

The exhibitions central location in Trondheim is within walking distance of many of the hotels where visitors and exhibitors stay.

– Electric scooters have become a popular means of transportation, and it is environmentally friendly. It was therefore important for Nor-Fishing to properly facilitate this use by establishing several temporary parking spaces for the electric scooters. This also contributed to pedestrians being able to move around the exhibition area unhindered, says Digre.

Complimentary shuttle services to the exhibition area are commonly utilized, which benefits the environment by lowering emissions and alleviating traffic congestion. The shuttle service also extends from the exhibition area to Værnes Airport in Trondheim. Additionally, the nearest train station is conveniently located a short distance from the exhibition area for those opting to travel to the airport by train.

Collecting of name badges 

A large volume of waste used to be generated from the numerous lanyards and name tags produced for the exhibition. However, in 2023, Nor-Fishing implemented a new way for gathering the name tags.

–  Collection stations were set up at every exit of the exhibition space, allowing both visitors and exhibitors to drop off their items. The lanyards are repurposed, while the name badges are recycled. In order to encourage involvement in this initiative, one badge is randomly chosen, and the winner gets to decide an environmental project to receive a donation of NOK 10,000 from Nor-Fishing, Digre states.

Tackling food waste

Food waste is a global challenge. According to WWF (2021), 40% of the food we produce goes to waste.

Nor-Fishing works with suppliers who focus on how food waste can be reduced. Among the measures are the sale of surplus food through services such as “Too good to go” and donations to local food banks. In addition, the surplus food is frozen, vacuum packed, fermented or dried to preserve it.

– All food waste is weighed, and our suppliers are continuously working on how food waste can be reduced, through measurements and statistics that are visible to employees, managers and the board, Digre concludes.