CHFA is committed to making our events more environmentally friendly. Here’s what we’re doing!

All CHFA trade shows are held in green facilities that work tirelessly towards reducing the impact of large events on the environment. Our venues are always close to public transit to help limit pollution from transportation.

All promotional pieces are printed on Forest Stewardship Council® FSC® certified paper. This means that the paper used is sourced from well managed forests and other controlled sources. We also use a vegetable-based ink that won’t harm the soil if the materials make their way to a landfill.

Our trade show badges don’t require holders made of unsustainable plastics. You can recycle your paper badge as soon as you have left the show.

So many things to taste at the trade show! But what happens with the waste? We encourage exhibitors to use compostable cups, plates and utensils for their sampling to minimize the output of plastics from the event.

The CHFA show bags are made of post-industrial recycled material (category 1 plastic), which means we recycle to make it and you re-use it to help reduce the use of single use plastic bags.

We partner with local food banks to prevent food waste after each event. Volunteers come by after the show to collect food and beverages that the exhibitors didn’t use. Last year, we donated four truck loads! The facilities also work with local organizations to donate leftover food from meal functions that take place during the conference and trade show.

Show carpet is made from 25% recycled materials and is used at least four times. After the fourth use Freeman Décor works with third party vendors to divert this carpet from the landfill. The underpadding is made from 100% recycled material.

We sometimes use trees as decoration at our Toronto event. These trees are then donated to the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign, a project with a goal to plant 200,000 trees along Hwy 401 – also known as the Highway of Heroes – in memory of our fallen soldiers.

Show signs are made with 100% recyclable substrate material and printed on flatbed “direct print” printers to help reduce the volume of substrates (that’s a fancy word for ink) that is sent to the landfill.

At every show, CHFA recognizes manufacturers and retailers who demonstrate exceptional sustainability, leadership, and operations. For the award trophies, we use eco-friendly materials whenever possible; to reduce environmental impact, we use only reclaimed or FSC-certified wood.