Fespa has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to sustainability in 2026 by building on progress achieved across its global operations, events and community initiatives over the last 12 months.
This year, Fespa achieved ISO 20121:2024 for Sustainable Event Management, following its ISO 20121:2012 certification in 2025. Fespa has also confirmed measurable year-on-year CO2e reductions between its 2024 and 2025 events.
Fespa’s commitment to sustainability is part of its wider Fespa Future strategy, which focuses on ‘Connecting, Inspiring and Supporting’ its global community. The organisation continues to invest in sustainable development initiatives beyond its exhibitions, including educational resources, research and insights, youth engagement programmes and community projects.
Fespa continues to provide sustainability guidance to its community through the Sustainability Spotlight section of its website. Resources include Fespa’s sustainability guides on: ‘Calculating Carbon,’ ‘Sustainable Certification Scheme Guide’ and ‘Glossary of Terms,’ released in 2024. In 2026, Fespa also introduced its latest guide, titled ‘Understanding and Avoiding Greenwash,’ which helps print businesses to ensure their sustainability messaging is accurate, credible and evidence based.
Graeme Richardson-Locke, head of Associations and Technical Lead at Fespa, comments, “We recognize the importance of helping businesses in our community to adapt as expectations and regulations around sustainability change. Our role is not only to reduce our own impact, but also to provide practical guidance for the wider speciality print industry and its related sectors.”
Fespa also runs its sister organization, the Fespa Foundation, which operates under the strapline ‘Print For Good’. The Fespa Foundation helps underserved communities from around the world and it transforms educational environments through print. Since launching in March 2025, the Fespa Foundation has supported schools in South Africa and Brazil through: donated educational resources that were printed on-stand at Fespa exhibitions, financial support, and improvements to the schools’ infrastructure and facilities.
Fespa supports the long-term sustainability of the print sector itself by running – through its network of global Associations – various youth engagement programs to introduce young people to careers in print, signage and visual communication. These initiatives are supported by investment from Fespa.
Neil Felton, CEO of Fespa, says, “We are proud of the progress we have made, but we also recognize there is more to do. Our ambition is to continue leading by example while supporting members of our community as they navigate regulatory changes, and transition to more responsible print and production.”
