Helping The Environment

Southampton International Boat Show has a charter to deliver a sustainable and environmentally friendly show to its visitors and exhibitors. The show is working with its partner agencies and exhibitors to reduce its carbon footprint and to push the drive towards cleaner and increasingly biodiverse waters. As well as using the event as a platform for change, we will help raise awareness of the plight of the world’s oceans among our thousands of visitors and exhibitors.

In addition to adapting how we operate and run the Show, the intention is to have individual engagement and signed commitment to marine conservation from all our exhibitors and contractors.

An important part of this is the Exhibitor Environmental Charter, Pledge and Sustainability Award.

Environmental Charter

The Environmental Charter requires exhibitors to adhere to a set of mandatory requirements as well as strive to meet a number of goals to enhance sustainable operations as part of the Environmental Pledge.

The mandatory requirements that make up the show’s Environmental Charter include:

• No Single use plastic water bottles on exhibitor stands, outlets or hosted events.
• Nominate a sustainability champion on their stand to oversee waste reduction, management and recycling at the show.
• Only to offer sustainable and recyclable promotional giveaways.
• Reduce Single use Plastic for all show related preparation and operations.
• Only to use compostable, recyclable or reusable plates, cups, glasses, and cutlery on the stand, concession or hosted events.
• All guest passes and tickets to the stand, event or related activity will use E tickets, QR Codes or App. If not possible must be printed on recycled paper.

2024 Environmental Pledge 

Exhibitors were encouraged to sign up to the voluntary Environmental Pledge on the following goals:

• Ensure as much of the stand setup is reusable.
• Promote good environmental practice e.g. removing single use plastic from the show setup for example cable ties.
• Offset hotel accommodation and transport throughout the show.
• Spread the word – encourage responsible environmental behaviour by all staff, contractors and customers.
• Use public transport, car sharing and reduce journeys throughout the show.
• Enter the Exhibitor Sustainability Award.

Exhibitors are encouraged to demonstrate their commitment and sign up to the pledge each year. In doing so their stand will be highlighted on the show map as a pledge entrant, and they will receive a display for their stand and a 2025 digital pledge logo to share on social media.