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 set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035. As a company owned by the City of Dortmund, we contribute to this goal within the scope of our responsibilities and ability to influence developments.
We are already implementing specific measures to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. These include, in particular, the procurement of electricity from renewable energy sources, the installation of photovoltaic systems as part of the modernisation of suitable roof areas, the use of heat recovery systems in our exhibition halls and the gradual conversion of lighting systems to LED technology.
Guarantees of origin are used and/or cancelled for 100% of our accounted-for electricity consumption. The electricity volumes procured for this purpose comply with the criteria of the RenewablePLUS green electricity label. Compliance with these criteria is confirmed through an independent audit conducted by TÜV Rheinland. The statement concerning green electricity refers to the balancing and allocation of electricity volumes and does not constitute a statement that the electricity is physically supplied directly from specific generation facilities.
The measures described contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. They do not mean that the Group as a whole is already climate-neutral.
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.
Mobility
Credit: Stadt Dortmund
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
Sustainability is an important concern for us, and we consistently integrate it into as many of our events and trade fairs as possible. Our aim is to familiarise visitors with the importance of sustainability and raise their awareness of this issue. We actively support this goal by regularly inviting schools and kindergartens to selected trade fairs, helping to inspire the younger generation to engage with sustainability.
At some of our own trade fairs, we invite renowned speakers to deliver presentations on social, environmental and/or economic topics in order to promote a deeper understanding of these important areas.
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.