Sustainability Initiatives at This Year’s Aqua Nor

Aqua Nor 2025 is working diligently to ensure minimal impact on the environment and climate.

— During this year’s Aqua Nor exhibition, we will implement several effective measures to safeguard the climate and environment. These initiatives will contribute to a better exhibition experience for both exhibitors and visitors, says Kristian Digre, Managing Director of the Nor-Fishing Foundation. The Nor-Fishing Foundation organizes the Aqua Nor and Nor-Fishing exhibitions.

Reuse and Waste Sorting

Nor-Fishing 2024 had 533 exhibitors. According to a user survey among exhibitors, as much as 85% of the booths were reused.

— Exhibitors are concerned about sustainability and reuse, and it is also economically beneficial. In the coming years, we will actively work to increase the level of reuse even further. In close collaboration with Retura, we implemented a waste sorting project before, during, and after the 2024 exhibition. Waste sorting benefits both the environment and the economy, Digre states.

The project was extensive, given the size of an exhibition like Nor-Fishing. Strong efforts from both exhibitors and suppliers ensured a highly successful execution. According to Digre, waste sorting also led to lower costs associated with waste management.

Goods Transportation

Freight destined for the exhibition area is handled by a dedicated freight forwarder. All goods are consolidated at their facility, allowing trucks to be fully loaded before being dispatched to the exhibition grounds.

Through this system, Nor-Fishing has managed to reduce transportation in and out of the exhibition area by 90%. This means lower greenhouse gas emissions and less noise pollution for neighboring residents.

Easy Access to the Exhibition Area

The exhibition’s central location in downtown Trondheim ensures walking distance to many of the hotels where visitors and exhibitors stay.

— Electric scooters have become a popular and environmentally friendly mode of transport. Therefore, during this year’s Aqua Nor exhibition, we will establish several temporary parking spaces for e-scooters. This will also help pedestrians move around the exhibition area without obstruction, says Digre.

Free shuttle buses to the exhibition venue remain a popular and environmentally friendly initiative that also helps reduce traffic. The shuttle service extends from the exhibition area to Trondheim Airport, Værnes. Additionally, the nearest train station is just a short distance from the venue for those traveling to the airport by train.

Lanyards and Name Badges

A major exhibition like Aqua Nor generates a large number of lanyards and name badges, which typically end up as waste after the event. The exhibition organizers have found an effective solution for this issue.

— Just like last year, we will set up collection stations at all exits of the exhibition area, where visitors and exhibitors can return their lanyards and name badges. The lanyards will be reused, and the name badges will be recycled. To encourage participation, one badge will be randomly selected, and the winner will choose an environmental initiative to which the Nor-Fishing Foundation will donate NOK 10,000, explains Digre.

At Aqua Nor 2023, Hanne Grøn from Plug Lofoten AS was selected. She chose to donate the NOK 10,000 prize to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Food Waste – A Major Environmental Concern

Food waste is a global challenge. According to WWF (2021), 40% of the food we produce is wasted.

Nor-Fishing collaborates with suppliers who focus on reducing food waste. Measures include selling surplus food through services like “Too Good To Go” and donating food to local food banks. Additionally, surplus food is frozen, vacuum-packed, fermented, or dried to preserve it.

— All food waste is weighed, and our suppliers continuously work on minimizing food waste by using measurements and statistics that are visible to employees, managers, and the board, Digre concludes.