Sustainability in Leipzig

Leipzig is committed to sustainability in a number of areas. The city participates in EU projects such as Triangulum to develop smart cities and relies on civil society initiatives such as the Sustainable Leipzig Forum. There are guides to sustainable events and partnerships with the trade fair company Leipziger Messe, which is certified to Green Globe standards. Leipzig also promotes innovative mobility solutions, such as self-driving local transport vehicles, and has numerous sustainable conference venues.

Commitment to sustainability Conference industry Sustainable mobility

Leipzig’s commitment to sustainability

Sustainability is on everyone’s lips – but how exactly does it work? And how can it really succeed? Leipzig does not have a panacea for the problems, and yet it is worth taking a careful look at the Saxon conference destination. An exciting variety of ideas reflects Leipzig’s awareness of personal and social responsibility.

Growing into a smart city

Development concepts for making cities more sustainable, efficient, technologically advanced, future-proof and socially inclusive are also the focus of Triangulum, the EU’s smart cities project in which Leipzig has been involved since 2020.

The topic is also receiving new attention with the creation of the city administration’s new Department for Sustainable Development and Climate Protection in the summer of 2021. This is where the city will manage sustainability and climate processes in the future, and where citizens will be able to participate more in energy and climate protection activities.

This institutional commitment goes hand in hand with many civil society initiatives such as the Forum Nachhaltiges Leipzig (Sustainable Leipzig Forum), which promotes sustainable growth.

Tagung & Konferenz Leipzig Convention: Augustusplatz von oben mit Oper, Gewandhaus und City-Hochhaus

Tagung & Konferenz Leipzig Convention: Skyline über dem beleuchteten Grimmaischen Steinweg in der Abenddämmerung

Urban life of tomorrow

An integrated urban development concept was first adopted by the city council in 2009, and the plans were continuously evaluated since then, before being relaunched in 2018 as a “strategic vision” for the Leipzig of 2030 – with the focus squarely on sustainable growth.

It aims to find answers to many of the big questions, such as global conditions, demographic change, the consequences of structural change and the challenges of the knowledge society. Accordingly, the goals it has set are ambitious – from education and social integration to smart, sustainable mobility and climate protection. And because all these questions aren’t the problem of the city administration alone, a variety of players from across city life are involved in implementing the plans.

Sustainability in tourism

As a key cross-cutting issue for the future, sustainability plays a central role in the strategic development of tourism. Leipzig is increasingly positioning itself as a sustainable location for congresses and conferences, particularly in terms of business travel. There are also a number of services and products that make Leipzig a sustainable experience.

Green Leipzig Regional products Tourism development (German)

Sustainability in the conference industry

Whether it’s mobility, venues, catering or waste management, event organisers need to take sustainability fully into account. In Leipzig, experienced service providers are on hand to help you plan resource-efficient events.

Sustainable service partners for your event

In Leipzig you will find a wide range of sustainable service providers who support sustainable events. From certified hotels that use renewable energy and offer regional produce, to event venues with smart waste management.

Conference venues

Examples of sustainable commitment include resource-saving stadium seating at the Red Bull Arena, three million honey bees at Porsche Leipzig GmbH and the NetZeroLEJ zero-emission fuelling centre at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

Max
3700
People in the largest room
CCL Congress Center Leipzig
23 Meeting Rooms
© Jörg Singer
Max
400
People in the largest room
Leipziger KUBUS
5 Meeting Rooms
© wpunktw
Max
12300
People in the largest room
QUARTERBACK Immobilien ARENA
2 Meeting Rooms
CC-BY-NC-ND | Tom Schulze
Ratskeller Leipzig
7 Meeting Rooms
CC-BY | Ratskeller der Stadt Leipzig GmbH
Max
1500
People in the largest room
Red Bull Arena Leipzig
13 Meeting Rooms
© Eric Kemnitz
Max
15000
People in the largest room
Zoo Leipzig GmbH
10 Meeting Rooms
© Zoo Leipzig

Conference hotels

The Westin Leipzig was the first hotel in Saxony to receive the Certified Green Hotel award. Other conference hotels listed here are also certified as Green Hotels and offer the opportunity to organise particularly sustainable and environmentally conscious events in Leipzig. They include the Felix Suites on Augustusplatz, which have been awarded the international GreenSign Hotel – Level 4 seal for sustainability.

Max
220
People in the largest room
Dorint Hotel Leipzig
9 Meeting Rooms , 174 Rooms
© Snap Count Shootings, Oliver Druse
Max
220
People in the largest room
Felix Suiten am Augustusplatz
8 Meeting Rooms , 322 Rooms
CC-BY-ND | Filmeuphorie
Max
210
People in the largest room
INNSIDE by Meliá Leipzig
5 Meeting Rooms , 177 Rooms
© Meliá
Max
300
People in the largest room
Leipzig Marriott Hotel
11 Meeting Rooms , 231 Rooms
CC-BY | Matthias Hamel
Max
300
People in the largest room
Radisson Blu Hotel Leipzig
10 Meeting Rooms , 214 Rooms
© Eric Kemnitz
Max
160
People in the largest room
Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Handelshof
6 Meeting Rooms , 177 Rooms
© Steigenberger Hotels AG
Max
700
People in the largest room
The Westin Leipzig
51 Meeting Rooms , 436 Rooms
CC-BY-SA | Matthias Hamel

Organising sustainable events – today!

An attentive eye for sustainable events stems from Leipzig’s status as a modern trade fair and congress city. In August 2020, for example, the city unveiled its own guide to organising sustainable events. Similar to a checklist, it contains clear and measurable recommendations for action in areas such as mobility, the careful use of resources, regional and fair trade, and social responsibility.

Recent examples show how sustainable partnerships can be fostered at events. The City of Leipzig has already successfully collaborated with the organisers of the International Broadcast Centre at Leipziger Messe for UEFA EURO 2024. This partnership will be continued for other major events in the future, such as the International German Gymnastics Festival 2025. This underlines Leipzig’s commitment to sustainability and cooperation in planning environmentally friendly events.

Tagung & Konferenz Leipzig Convention: Leipzig-Stand auf der IMEX Frankfurt 2024 mit Ansprechpersonen

Fairground with Green Globe standards

Talking of sustainability in the event industry: in 2009, Leipziger Messe became the first German trade fair company to be certified according to Green Globe standards. Since then, it has always passed the annual sustainability audit with flying colours.

The measures introduced at the exhibition grounds, the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) and the KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig cover the careful use of resources, energy saving and social aspects. Sustainability is understood as an integral part of corporate social responsibility and as a wise investment.

Congress Center Leipzig: Eventlocation von oben für Tagung & Konferenz Leipzig Convention

A conference location with team spirit

The congress initiative “Feel the Spirit… do-it-at-leipzig.de” also focuses on long-term partnerships.

The team spirit and ongoing cooperation between congress and event venues, conference hotels, service agencies, local PCOs and logistics partners benefits you as an event organiser right from the planning stage, and later when you organise and conduct your events in Leipzig.

The online platform at www.do-it-at-leipzig.de brings all of these providers together, introducing the services they offer the congress and conference sector and making it easier to find the right solution for you. In addition, the initiative, together with its partners, regularly gets people talking about Leipzig by organising original appearances at major industry events such as IMEX.

KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig: Außenansicht der Eventlocation für Tagung & Konferenz Leipzig Convention

Congress destination Leipzig: Four initiatives for more sustainability
CC-BY | Philipp Kirschner
Leipziger Messe’s sustainability concept
CC-BY | Philipp Kirschner
Sustainability in Leipzig’s Conference Hotels
CC-BY | Philipp Kirschner

Sustainable mobility

Innovations for sustainable mobility

Beacons like Leipzig’s transport authority LVB shine far beyond Leipzig with their innovative approach to tackling mobility issues.

From ABSOLUT – a project involving self-driving public transport vehicles – to LOW CARB’s efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, and from the app-based on-demand mobility service Flexa to the company’s social commitment, which was recognised in 2021 with the Tolerance Prize awarded by the Saxon State Ministry for Social Affairs, LVB is blazing sustainable new trails for public transport.

And there are many more ways in which the city of Leipzig is an impressive example of sustainable mobility in action.

Tagung & Konferenz Leipzig Convention: Straßenbahn der Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe vor dem Leipziger Hauptbahnhof