Sustainability has become a word that companies like to wave about, without actually acting sustainably. The fact that sustainability is the core and essence of MHP’s corporate philosophy was also apparent at this year’s MHPFESTIVAL OF DIGITAL EXCELLENCE on June 24. The entire festival was planned around the premise that the three R-Principles of the circular economy should be adhered to as comprehensively as possible: reduce, re-use, recycle. Which is how festival passes become entire meadows.
Reduce – What does it actually mean?
A total of around 2,700 visitors came to the MHPFESTIVAL – and many more joined online via streams. A large number of them traveled to the festival grounds by shuttle bus, some used public transport and others organized car pools. This not only significantly reduced CO2 emissions, but also significantly helped the infrastructure in Ludwigsburg.
The furnishings in the largest mobile tent in Europe, at 1,680 square meters, were pared down to the essentials: The usual carpet was done away with completely: It can’t be reused and would have to be disposed of after the event. And: The catering consisted entirely of vegetarian and vegan options, saving a lot of emissions. For example, each vegetarian MHPBurger produced 2.343 kg of CO2 less than a comparable beef burger.
Re-use to reduce garbage
2,700 people using disposable dishes over a whole day at a festival produces a whole lot of garbage. To avoid this, only reusable dishes were available. There were also porcelain plates and metal cutlery – which makes the food taste better anyway.
Local suppliers
Not only was the food regional, the suppliers were local too. From caterers and the food on offer to the event agency and the technology provider, all of them came from in and around Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg.
Recycle – from name badges to meadows
MHP has a second life in mind for most of the materials that are normally used and discarded at a festival. For instance, the festival passes and name badges were made from seed paper. When planted, a tiny meadow blooms. The lanyards themselves were made of cork.
After the event, the wood, metal, and paper used was handed over to Trash Galore – an initiative that donates reusable materials to non-profit organizations. The banners will also serve a new purpose in the future: They are recycled in cooperation with a charitable institution.
Incentive for the future
MHP knows this commitment can only make a small contribution to the overall balance sheet. But these efforts are much more than just a marketing coup. And besides, where do you start, if not with the small things? Together with the event partner Pulsmacher, MHP gave considerable thought to potential areas for sustainability in the run-up to the MHPFESTIVAL. Identifying these areas of potential, using them and continuously optimizing them – this is what distinguishes MHP’s daily work.
In spite of all efforts, the MHPFESTIVAL was of course not completely free of CO2 emissions. However, cooperation with the German NGO Bergwaldprojekt e.V. as a long-term partner and the additional purchase of CO2 certificates will compensate for a large part of the emissions.
About the MHPFESTIVAL
The MHPFESTIVAL takes place annually and is organized for the employees of MHP. Guests can also join online. In 2022, the festival took place in Ludwigsburg for the first time after two pandemic years. MHP experts and around 70 top speakers from mobility and manufacturing shared their visions, best practices and success stories on June 24, 2022.
The management and IT consulting firm MHP has been working for many years on solutions for sustainability in general – including for increasing efficiency and optimizing processes to conserve resources and reduce impact on the environment. That is why the speakers’ topics reflected the huge importance of sustainability for a “Better Tomorrow.” For example, Nikolas Bradford presented the new GreenTech study and Dr. Harald Neidhardt, CEO and Curator of the Futur/io Institute, spoke about a new era of regenerative future design. The various panels and discussions at the MHPFESTIVAL also looked at possible strategies for companies such as the future of supply chains, digital product passports, and implementing possible measures for an end-to-end decarbonization strategy.
Guests were also given the opportunity to share and present their sustainability preferences and ideas for MHP and beyond at the sustainability stand of the Corporate Social Responsibility division. The aim is also for everyone who works at MHP to increasingly become sustainability ambassadors.
Of course, other current topics were also addressed: the future of the automotive industry, intelligent battery management for electric cars, the advancement of smart cities, the cloud, cyber security and the metaverse as well as new work and new leadership.
A lot of these lectures are available in the media library:
