Helping The Environment

Environmental Pledge

Southampton International Boat Show has a charter to deliver a sustainable and environmentally friendly show to its visitors and exhibitors. The show is working with its partner agencies and exhibitors to reduce its carbon footprint and to push the drive towards cleaner and increasingly biodiverse waters. As well as using the event as a platform for change, we will help raise awareness of the plight of the world’s oceans among our thousands of visitors and exhibitors.

In addition to adapting how we operate and run the Show, the intention is to have individual engagement and signed commitment to marine conservation from all our exhibitors and contractors over the coming years.

An important part of this is the Exhibitor Environmental Pledge which focuses on eight individual areas.

The Environmental Pledge is as follows –

Optional Exhibitor Requirements for 2023’s show

  1. Enter the Exhibitor Sustainability Award.
  2. Organise or support a local waterside clean up in your area.
  3. Offset your hotel accommodation and travel for the duration of the show.

New MANDATORY exhibitor requirements for 2023’s Show

  1. Use sustainable/biodegradable hand sanitiser and cleaning materials.
  2. Use public transport or car share (where viable) to get to the show.
  3. Spread the word – encourage environmentally responsible behaviour by your staff, contractors and customers.

These are in addition to the requirements from 2022:

Existing requirements from 2022

  1. Promote good environmental practice & sustainability
  2. Ensure as much of your stand set-up equipment is reusable
  3. No single-use plastic water bottles on exhibitor stands, outlets and/or hosted events.
  4. No plastic straws on any stand, food outlet or hosted event at the show.
  5. Exhibitors to nominate a sustainability champion on their stand to oversee waste management and recycling at the show.
  6. Exhibitors to only offer sustainable and recyclable promotional giveaways.
  7. Exhibitors to use compostable, recyclable, or reusable plates, cups, or cutlery on their stand.
  8. All guest passes and tickets to your stand events or related activities, use E-tickets or QR codes wherever possible – if not, use recycled paper.
  9. Reduce use of single-use plastic for all show-related preparation and operations.
  10. Reduce paper use and printed materials at the show use QR codes.

All exhibitors sign up to the mandatory requirements of the Environmental Pledge and those exhibitors who agree to take on all the optional requirements will have a Southampton International Boat Show Pledge 2023 floor sticker on their stand.

What to look out for

The Green Blue

As boat users, we each play an important role in protecting our marine and inland waters for the future. By following environmental best practice today, we can create long-lasting benefits on the water for the people, wildlife and habitats of tomorrow.

The Green Blue is a UK-wide environmental programme, created by the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine, launched at the Southampton International Boat Show in 2005.

Find The Green Blue in Ocean Hall on stand J119.

2023 Official Charity Announced!

Read our latest announcement that Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust’s seagrass restoration project named official charity for the Southampton International Boat Show 2023