FESPA Foundation repurposes trade show samples to support education in underprivileged communities

FESPA has announced the launch of The FESPA Foundation, a new sister organisation to FESPA, dedicated to encouraging sustainable practices throughout the speciality print and visual communications industry and channelling resources into community support and educational outreach programmes.

With a philosophy of ‘Print for Good’, the principal activities of The FESPA Foundation have been defined as: 
•    Encouraging exhibitors to produce print applications that can enrich educational environments for children in underprivileged communities, thereby reducing printed waste from FESPA exhibitions worldwide;
•    Facilitating the collection, transportation, distribution and installation of these print materials in the beneficiary communities via international and local partners;
•    Collecting in-kind and monetary donations that further support the beneficiary communities for distribution via credible local charities and community outreach programmes.

The Foundation’s first initiative will be to collect printed materials and in-kind donations at the FESPA Global Print Expo, which takes place from 6-9 May 2025, at Messe Berlin, Germany. The items will be distributed to community projects in southern Africa. Exhibitors at FESPA Global Print Expo 2025 have been asked to produce printed applications such as educational posters, maps, student clothing and backpacks to a defined set of technical and creative specifications, these will meet a range of educational needs as informed by local programme partners. 

Visitors to the Berlin show are also invited to make in-kind donations of items such as reading glasses, notebooks, pens, art kits, or school supplies. Monetary donations to The FESPA Foundation are also welcomed and will be used to fund the purchase of mosquito nets for malaria prevention, clean-water drinking straws, and similar items.

Printed materials and donations collected at FESPA Global Print Expo will be transported to South Africa free of charge by FESPA’s global logistics partner DSV. In South Africa, they will be distributed via the Kingsley Holgate Foundation. This community charitable organisation was established to support malaria prevention, water purification, and access to Rite to Sight spectacles for the poor-sighted in Africa.  It now also provides Early Childhood Development and Conservation & Communities initiatives. The Foundation intends to replicate this model across regional FESPA events.

Neil Felton, CEO of FESPA and founder of The FESPA Foundation, explains, “FESPA is a global support organisation, and our mission has always revolved around supporting communities, educating and knowledge-sharing, and promoting sustainability. Through The FESPA Foundation, we can bring these core values to life beyond our day-to-day work, encouraging practices that reduce waste and environmental impact while creating long-term value for communities. Those of us who live and breathe print believe wholeheartedly in its unique potential to engage, inform and inspire. By creating the Foundation, we want to harness the combined strength of our global exhibitor and visitor base and demonstrate how, together, we can channel the power of print to drive positive change globally.”

By diverting printed exhibition sample materials that would ordinarily be wasted towards meaningful community support projects, The FESPA Foundation’s work aligns clearly with FESPA’s ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management System standards, reducing event waste and maximising the positive legacy of FESPA exhibitions.

To illustrate the initiative’s transformative potential, the Foundation visited the Evane Intermediate School, a rural school serving 90 children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Foundation oversaw this project together with FESPA associate Steve Thobela ka Mdlalose in South Africa, a print business owner, former CEO of Printing SA, and founding General Manager of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation, which develops young leaders across Africa. He had active support from the FESPA Africa team and partners, using funds and in-kind donations from FESPA.

The local project team repainted and decorated the school, upgraded and repaired the toilet blocks, and delivered a range of printed educational posters and creative materials to provide a more functional and inspiring learning environment. A video about the project can be viewed on YouTube.