APD strives for a sustainable event and corporate culture – in social, ecological and economic terms. We state our values and corporate principles in our mission statement. It is our goal to make APD an event that leaves an ecological footprint as small as possible and, with its diversely networked organiser Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (FMF), to make a long-term and sustainable contribution to the society. We are therefore in the process of shedding light on all areas of event organisation – step by step, in order to continuously improve.
For the 2024 edition, we have taken a big step forward: We received a certificate according to ISO 20121 for sustainable event management for APD 2024 and have implemented a management system to ensure our continuous further development. For APD 2025 we strive to continue the ISO-certification .
APD’s sustainability strategy currently covers the following areas:
Mobility
APD is a business-to-business event whose efficiency is particularly dependent on intensive personal exchange. This requires participants to travel. To reduce and where possible avoid emissions of travels will be one of our main tasks, because travelling to and from the event is the biggest source of emissions. In this context, we set the following travel guidelines:
Travel measures/guidelines
- For domestic travel, only train journeys are booked. This applies to internal business travel as well as invited guests. For intra-European travels, preference is also given to trains in a reasonable travel time (less than six hours travelling time, including waiting time, and two or fewer transfers).
- Participants travelling to APD can purchase discounted train tickets (“Event Ticket”) from the Deutsche Bahn (German Railways). Event Tickets apply to journeys in Germany
- When flights are booked, airlines that allow CO2 offsetting are preferred and CO2 compensation is paid
- Each APD accreditation includes a free public transport ticket
- Airport, train station and hotels are located in a way that they are easily accessible by public transport.
The venues of APD are within walking distance of each other. On site all journeys can be made by foot or public transport. Local bike- and e-scooter sharing services are also available - As ITFS, FMX and APD take place at the same time, speakers and press representatives can be invited together.
As a result, participants have to travel only once to take part in all three events and can reduce their carbon footprint - Travel within the team is also carefully chosen. In the planning phase, we hold virtual meetings as far as possible with partners and in the internal team and can thus reduce traffic emissions
Event infrastructure
- The main venue of APD is the Landesmuseum Württemberg. It is easily accessible by public transport and the event takes place at public transport-compatible times. The Landesmuseum is participating in the one-year programme “Climate Protection in Cultural Institutions” and uses green electricity. The location is barrier-free. More information on accessibility can be found here: https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/besuch/barrierefrei
- The hotel, which we book for speakers and invited investors, is certified and has implemented an environmental and sustainability concept since 2010. The Maritim Hotel’s environmental guideline is based on the three-pillar model of ecology, economy and social issues and includes measures from the six relevant fields of action of sustainable management: energy, waste, water, purchasing, mobility and employees, and is continuously reviewed and further developed
- Catering: More than 50% of the catering will be vegetarian/vegan. Furthermore, no disposable tableware will be used for catering during the coffee breaks, lunches and dinners. Only reusable crockery is used, and drinks also come in reusable bottles. Beverages and food are purchased regionally and in organic quality whenever possible.
External stakeholders
Aspects of sustainability play a key role in the selection of service providers and partners. Whenever possible, APD commissions local companies that comply with environmental standards and have short travel distances to set up the venue. This applies, for example, to rental furniture, catering or technical equipment.
Communication
- APD produces as little printed material as possible. The APD catalogue has been produced as an e-catalogue since 2020 and adapted accordingly.
- If printing is necessary, it is commissioned from a printing company that is certified according to environmental criteria and prints on environmental paper (since 2022).
- Printed materials such as lanyards and guest folders etc. have been produced independently of the event’s year in order to avoid unnecessary waste and allow reusability for many years.
- We refrain from producing or enclosing sponsoring articles within the framework of the event.
Company-internal sustainability
The organising company of APD, Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH, is selected and currently participating in the one-year programme “Climate Protection in Cultural Institutions”. The funding programme of the Klimaschutzstiftung Baden-Württemberg (Climate Protection Foundation Baden-Württemberg) supports 10 selected institutions with workshops and trainings in their transition to more sustainable operations.
Acting sustainably means constant further development and a continuous process that is not completed.
If you have any suggestions, please feel free to exchange them with the APD team.