Sustainable Booth Design for BWGP
In an age when sustainability often clashes with expansion, our stand embraces the principles of degrowth: designing less, wasting less, and creating value beyond material accumulation. So, instead of building more, we’ve chosen to build better: lighter, smarter, and with purpose. The BayWa Global Produce stand at Fruit Attraction 2025 reflects a shift from excess to essence, proving that design excellence can coexist with environmental and social responsibility, even in an industry like trade fair shows.
Every design decision, from the absence of flooring to the use of fabric walls, was guided by one goal: minimise impact. It’s not only a place to showcase products, but also a statement about how trade fairs can evolve towards a more sustainable future.
Every design decision, from the absence of flooring to the use of fabric walls, was guided by one goal: minimise impact. It’s not only a place to showcase products, but also a statement about how trade fairs can evolve towards a more sustainable future.
Where materials were essential, we prioritised lightness and longevity. Textile walls replaced MDF boards, aluminium frames replaced timber, cardboard panels replaced plastic panels and and lightweight fabrics took the place of synthetic panels. These modular, lightweight components are easy to transport, assemble, and reuse at future events, closing the loop between design, production, and reuse.
Where materials were essential, we prioritised lightness and longevity. Textile walls replaced MDF boards, aluminium frames replaced timber, cardboard panels replaced plastic panels and and lightweight fabrics took the place of synthetic panels. These modular, lightweight components are easy to transport, assemble, and reuse at future events, closing the loop between design, production, and reuse.
Our approach began by questioning what not to build. By eliminating conventional elements such as raised floors, carpets, and heavy wooden panels, we dramatically reduced material use and waste generation. The exposed fairground floor, the lightweight curtain walls, and the use of rented modular structures together achieve an estimated 85% reduction in total material weight compared to traditional trade fair booths. Less material means less transport, less energy, and less waste, all without compromising functionality or aesthetics.
Our approach began by questioning what not to build. By eliminating conventional elements such as raised floors, carpets, and heavy wooden panels, we dramatically reduced material use and waste generation. The exposed fairground floor, the lightweight curtain walls, and the use of rented modular structures together achieve an estimated 85% reduction in total material weight compared to traditional trade fair booths. Less material means less transport, less energy, and less waste, all without compromising functionality or aesthetics.
Sustainability extends beyond materials: it’s also about people. Wherever possible, we chose to collaborate with local and social enterprises, ensuring that the project benefits the community around it. After the fair, everything that cannot be reused, such as plants or fabrics, was donated to the community. All plants went to Madrid’s Casa de Campo Nursery for replanting in local parks and gardens, while surplus fruit went to Banco de Alimentos de Madrid, the city’s food bank. Textile materials, such as the polyester canopy fabric, were given to Artcycled, a Spanish organisation that upcycles industrial textile waste into new products. In this way, the stand continues to create value long after the event ends.
Sustainability extends beyond materials: it’s also about people. Wherever possible, we chose to collaborate with local and social enterprises, ensuring that the project benefits the community around it. After the fair, everything that cannot be reused, such as plants or fabrics, was donated to the community. All plants went to Madrid’s Casa de Campo Nursery for replanting in local parks and gardens, while surplus fruit went to Banco de Alimentos de Madrid, the city’s food bank. Textile materials, such as the polyester canopy fabric, were given to Artcycled, a Spanish organisation that upcycles industrial textile waste into new products. In this way, the stand continues to create value long after the event ends.
