“ I suppose what the pandemic taught us was how different the world would be if we all didn ’ t travel to work every day and drive cars . I think the world can see that there was something quite serious happening in terms of climate change .
“ But business has to go on . That ’ s the world we live in . An exhibition is part of that , but what you can do is you can do a lot to become more responsible .”
As part of that responsibility Whitespace support their community , volunteering and making donations to environmetal charities and prioritising local suppliers .
They have promoted their sustainability lead Alya Khalidi to head of CSR .
Khalidi is now measuring all of the business ’ outputs with a view to achieving ISO : 14001 acreditation .
Almost 90 % of their stands are resusable and nothing goes to landfill .
“ Our ethical approach is what we specialise in and I think clients can see that when they visit ,” Cole says .
She says some organisers are insisting that single use materials are removed from the build and that the demands for businesses to provide their CSR credentials will keep growing .
“ It ’ s going to be critical for all businesses , because we ’ ve all got to do something to help with these challenges that we ’ re all facing . It ’ s amazing what you can do . There ’ s so much we can achieve . And it ’ s changing fast .
“ What ’ s interesting is , I think the exhibition space might change in that it won ’ t be about the biggest . It ’ s more about equality . It ’ s more about having that presence , and using other means to engage with people . So I think the space is going to change more , and it is already changing rapidly .”
Reflecting on the past 20 years and the legacy of Whitespace Group , Cole concludes : “ I ’ m really proud of what we ’ ve achieved , and what we ’ re aiming for .
“ This is only the start .” EN
Whitespace Group ’ s responsible credentials Supporting their staff , environmental charites and their local community is all part of Whitespace ’ s CSR goals .
• 0 % of waste goes to landfill saving 12.98 tonnes of carbon in last year
• 14 % more staff compared to January 2020
• 43 % increase in staff diversity
• introduction of menopause policy
• increased paternity leave
• old samples and off-cuts donated to a local school
• green roof absorbs 60kg of CO2 a year
• showroom consumables from local businesses including Wimbledon Brewery , Capital Coffee Roasters and Wimbledon Tea Company
• £ 5,490 donated to local charities up to September 2022
• 400 mangrove trees planted in 2021 through One Tree Planted
• volunteer day planned for London Wetlands Centre and £ 2,500 donated
• donations to Tooting Community Kitchen foodbank
November — 45