CHICAGO — This year, RX marked Earth Day with a coordinated social media campaign showcasing the sustainability initiatives taking place across its events.
The initiative placed special emphasis on the vital role of RX’s stakeholders — particularly its suppliers — encouraged engagement and collaboration among colleagues and partners, and provided an opportunity to recognize and celebrate progress aligned with Net Zero Carbon Events.
Trade Show Executive’s (TSE) Young Professionals Corner sat down with Helen Sheppard, RX’s Global Sustainability Director, to discuss its sustainability strategies, standout events and initiatives, and how AI fits in the picture.
ANDREW: What new sustainability strategies is RX employing this year?
HELEN: This year, we’re focused on strengthening the foundations that enable our event teams to embed sustainability into their everyday decision-making. A key initiative is the continued rollout of our Sustainability Scorecard, which was launched by our CEO [Hugh Jones] and has strong leadership support across the business.
It is designed to build confidence among event directors in reporting against clear sustainability metrics. Beyond measurement, the scorecard is also becoming a valuable strategic tool, helping teams shape their event value propositions and long-term sustainability strategies.
We’re also investing heavily in e-learning and training, ensuring that colleagues across RX have the knowledge and practical guidance needed to implement sustainable practices. Empowering our people is essential to driving meaningful change.
In addition, we’re expanding our data collection efforts beyond energy and waste. While these remain critical indicators, we’re increasingly looking at broader environmental impacts to gain a more holistic understanding of our events and identify new opportunities for improvement.
ANDREW: Are there a few standout events or initiatives that you would like to highlight?
HELEN: There have been several inspiring initiatives across our global portfolio.
One that stands out is the Freeman and Emerald carpet development in the U.S. What’s particularly encouraging is the innovation in designing carpets to be fully recyclable, rather than simply going to landfill.
Additionally, while reuse is not a new concept, it has been valuable to see this process in practice and better understand how carpets are professionally cleaned, maintained and reused multiple times. Together, these approaches are helping to significantly reduce the waste associated with exhibition flooring.
We’ve seen inspiring examples of sustainability in action across our global portfolio. In cosmetics, Latin America achieved zero waste to landfill and reported a 10% reduction in energy consumption compared to its baseline, alongside initiatives such as sustainable stand design and carbon footprint measurement across exhibitors.
Meanwhile, Paris Photo demonstrated leadership through high-reuse feature builds and the elimination of single-use plastics.
In Mexico, the Expo Beauty Show significantly reduced emissions by eliminating 10,000 m² [approximately 107,639 square feet] of carpet.
Functional Fabric Fair also stands out for its strong stakeholder engagement, bringing the textile industry together to advance sustainable materials and practices.
ANDREW: Throughout your career, how has sustainability changed and what have you learned?
HELEN: Sustainability has evolved significantly over the course of my career. Initially, it was largely compliance-driven, focused on meeting regulatory requirements and reporting obligations.
Today, it has become a core component of business strategy and value creation, influencing everything from risk management to brand reputation and customer engagement.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the value of transparency and credible data. Reliable information is essential for informed decision-making and for building trust with stakeholders.
I’ve also come to appreciate that progress takes time. Sustainability often involves complex trade-offs, and it’s not always clear what the “perfect” solution looks like.
This can sometimes feel overwhelming, particularly when progress appears slow. Breaking challenges down into manageable steps has proven to be an effective way to maintain momentum and drive meaningful change.
Related. Sustainability In-Action at RX
ANDREW: How do you expect sustainability to change in the future?
HELEN: Looking ahead, sustainability will become fully embedded in the way we conduct business. With increasing energy instability and disruptions to global supply chains, sustainability is no longer just an environmental imperative — it’s also a means of enhancing resilience and mitigating risk.
We can also expect a greater emphasis on transparency, particularly as organizations work toward their 2030 interim targets. Stakeholders are demanding clearer, more credible data on sustainability performance, and this trend will only intensify.
Organizations that prioritize openness and accountability will be best positioned to succeed in this evolving landscape.
ANDREW: How can young or up-and-coming professionals make a difference at their organizations?
HELEN: Young professionals have a tremendous opportunity to drive positive change. One of the most effective ways to start is by identifying areas within their own teams where they can have influence, whether that’s reducing waste, improving data collection or encouraging sustainable procurement.
Forming small “Green Teams” can also be a powerful way to build a community of like-minded colleagues and generate momentum for new initiatives. These groups often act as catalysts for innovation and engagement, and they can be a great way for someone new to the industry to start a sustainability-aware career.
Young professionals are often closest to the day-to-day operations and bring a fresh perspective, which puts them in a strong position to spot gaps in what is (and isn’t) being measured.
If sustainability metrics are not yet in place, they can take the initiative to ask questions, challenge assumptions and help introduce simple ways of tracking impact.
Because they are still building relationships across teams and suppliers, they can also naturally embed sustainability into those conversations early — such as asking suppliers about their credentials — helping to drive accountability across the value chain from the ground up.
ANDREW: What would you tell a young professional who feels discouraged about sustainability?
HELEN: It’s completely understandable to feel discouraged at times, especially when media coverage often highlights the scale of global challenges. However, it’s important to remember that small changes can have significant impacts.
Rather than focusing on what can’t be controlled, I encourage individuals to look for the wins and the areas where they can make a tangible difference.
There are countless examples of progress happening every day, and these successes can serve as powerful sources of motivation and inspiration.
Collective action, even at a small scale, contributes to meaningful long-term change.
ANDREW: How do you think AI factors into the sustainability conversation?
HELEN: AI is a multifaceted topic within the sustainability conversation. On one hand, there are environmental considerations, particularly the energy intensity and water usage associated with large-scale data centers.
While awareness of these impacts is growing, greater transparency from major technology companies is still needed.
There are also important social sustainability considerations, including the impact on jobs, the potential for bias in AI systems and the need for human oversight to ensure ethical and responsible use.
That said, AI also presents significant opportunities. It can play a positive role in enhancing sustainability reporting, improving data analysis and advancing learning and training across organizations. When applied thoughtfully, AI has the potential to accelerate progress toward sustainability goals.
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