Jaarbeurs, based in Utrecht, Netherlands, is a renowned venue for trade fairs, congresses, and events, attracting over 2.4 million visitors annually. Beyond hosting events, Jaarbeurs is committed to driving sustainability and fostering community impact. In this interview, Marloes van den Berg, Chief People and Sustainability officer at Jaarbeurs shares how the company integrates sustainability into its operations, balances environmental goals with social responsibility and ensures authenticity in its corporate purpose.
From Intrinsic Motivation to Organisational Integration
Sustainability at Jaarbeurs isn’t an afterthought or marketing gimmick—it stems from a genuine belief in making a positive impact. “Personally, I don’t like the term "purpose marketing." It feels a bit like a gimmick to me as if you’re exploiting your purpose,” Marloes explains. “However, I believe it’s incredibly important for a company like Jaarbeurs to have a purpose—something meaningful, especially when it comes to taking responsibility for sustainability in its broadest sense,” she adds.
When talking about sustainability as a company, many people immediately think of climate-related issues, like being carbon-neutral. While Marloes firmly believes that every company must contribute to addressing issues like climate change, she argues that it’s also about social responsibility towards society and employees. “Those elements are essential in creating a company’s purpose—why the company exists and what role it plays. But if it’s just about promoting the purpose for the sake of appearances, then it misses the point entirely.”
Jaarbeurs' motivation is backed by strong leadership, with sustainability embedded throughout the organisation. The company’s “Green Team,” made up of managers from different departments, ensures that sustainability goals are shared responsibilities rather than siloed initiatives. This integrated approach ensures that every aspect of the business contributes to Jaarbeurs’ environmental and social impact.
“It often happens when people lack the authority to implement meaningful changes. Companies might push ambitious sustainability claims while placing CSR in a minor department with little decision-making power. That approach simply doesn’t work.” Marloes is also seeing a surge in demands for sustainability-focused events and congresses, “These wouldn’t choose Jaarbeurs if we weren’t aligned with their values.”
“Companies might push ambitious sustainability claims while placing CSR in a minor department with little decision-making power. That approach simply doesn’t work.”
Sustainability as a strategic pillar for growth
When Marloes started formulating Jaarbeurs’ sustainability strategy, the focus was first on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Over time, it shifted more towards the ESGs (Environmental, Social and Governance factors), especially with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) coming into play.
The process led to defining a strategy based on five key pillars: societal responsibility, employees, business, real estate, and logistics, all of which support Jaarbeurs’ ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
“We’re committed to accelerating sustainability in all the markets we’re active in. While it’s challenging to quantify this in a single KPI, we’ve started focusing on strategic markets with the greatest potential to contribute to sustainability.”
Societal Responsibilities
Marloes dives more into the Social factors, which for Jaarbeurs is about societal responsibilities and the employees. “The first pillar, the societal responsibility, concerns what we are doing for the city of Utrecht and its residents.” This also includes supporting local causes. Jaarbeurs has chosen to support two local charities, the Princess Máxima Centre for Children’s Oncology in Utrecht, and the Helen Dowling Institute, which provides mental health support for cancer patients and their families.
Last year, Jaarbeurs managed to raise nearly €100,000 for the Princess Máxima Centre through additional consumer donations, bottle refunds and events. She highlights that sharing these stories is important, not just to enhance Jaarbeurs’ image, but to inspire other companies to follow suit. “The ultimate goal is to contribute meaningfully, such as helping eradicate childhood cancer.”
Employees
The second pillar involves our employees, focusing on diversity and inclusivity policies, gender equality, equal pay, and sustainable employability, among other things. Additionally, all employees of Jaarbeurs have the opportunity to volunteer for good causes during working hours. For example, Marloes recently spent a day volunteering for the Salvation Army in Utrecht, which she found to be a humbling and great learning experience. Jaarbeurs’ employees are also supporting food banks, nursing homes, and other local initiatives. “It’s not always about money; the initiatives we undertake already make a big difference in supporting selected goals. And that is equally important. There’s always room to do more, of course.”
“It’s not always about money; the initiatives we undertake already make a big difference in supporting selected goals. There’s always room to do more, of course.”
Business
The third pillar is the business pillar. Jaarbeurs aims to drive and accelerate sustainability across all markets and industries where they are active. For example, they plan to host a circular construction fair in 2027, promoting innovations in sustainable materials, inclusivity, and support for underrepresented communities in the workforce. “This pillar is critical. In our industry, we aspire to be the most sustainable and innovative organiser of congresses and events in Europe. We also aim to attract sustainability-focused congresses and events to Jaarbeurs, such as the MVO Nederland Annual Conference and Future Green Cities. This goal is both national and international,” Marloes says.
Real Estate
The fourth pillar is real estate. As property owners, Jaarbeurs are integrating sustainability into all of their new building plans. “This goes beyond making structures energy-neutral or circular; we’re also focusing on inclusivity. For instance, can people who are neurodivergent find low-stimulus spaces within our buildings? Are our facilities physically accessible for wheelchair users? Do we have gender-neutral restrooms?” Marloes adds.
Circular, zero-waste and zero-emission logistics
Finally, the fifth pillar is zero-waste and emissions-free logistics. This is vital for Jaarbeurs, partly due to Utrecht’s environmental zoning regulations.
“We aim to transition entirely to electric transport for all goods and visitors.” By driving sustainable practices in all markets they serve, Jaarbeurs is positioning itself as a leader in sustainable event management.
“In our industry, we aspire to be the most sustainable and innovative organiser of congresses and events in Europe.”