Messe C is Denmark’s first exhibition center, spanning an impressive 33,000 square meters under one roof and welcoming approximately 300,000 guests annually to conferences, corporate events, and exhibitions.

Through its membership in THE UPCYCL, Messe C participates in a collaboration with other Danish exhibition centers, the building supply chain Bygma, and THE UPCYCL to ensure that used exhibition carpets find new life in the construction industry as coverings instead of ending up as waste.

THE UPCYCL asked Lasse Dahl-Hansen, Project Coordinator at Messe C, some questions about their membership and the collaboration they are part of.

How do you perceive the need in the event industry to reduce waste?

We perceive the need to reduce waste, as everywhere else, as something that is receiving increasing attention, with a focus on integrating everything into a sustainable context.

This applies to everything in our venue, from carpets to reducing paper or food waste. We are driven by a desire to find meaningful solutions that make sense.

We also believe that the first priority is to use less than before. When we do need to use new items—such as carpets—we must find the best solution to ensure they continue to have a life in other contexts or are recycled.

How is this need felt at Messe C?

At Messe C, the sustainable journey is one of our must-win battles, so for us, there is no middle ground.

We must succeed in continually becoming more and more sustainable.

As a large venue with many guests and exhibitors, we also have the opportunity to truly make a difference—and we can already see that since we began focusing on this journey, a lot has happened. Both visibly and invisibly to the naked eye.

How does THE UPCYCL play a role in your vision, and why did you choose to collaborate with us?

The collaboration with THE UPCYCL makes perfect sense for us because we are helping each other extend the lifespan of carpets and thereby ensuring that new ones are not purchased elsewhere in the chain. In our view, THE UPCYCL has created a fantastic platform with its heart in the right place.

What value do you expect the collaboration with THE UPCYCL to bring?

We have already started the collaboration and had the first carpets reused this fall, and our expectation is clearly that we can continue with a strong partnership and jointly develop our shared green mission further.