Still the day of his inauguration, Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement. The term climate change no longer features in his vocabulary and is reportedly deleted from government servers. Within the EU, implementation of the Green Deal has stalled. At both EU and German levels there are currently discussions and plans to ease regulatory requirements, with competitiveness as the main focus. This has led to the impression that sustainability is presently slipping into the background.
Sustainability a Decisive Factor in the Awarding of Contracts
Among EuroShop exhibitors—specifically companies active in shopfitting and store design—this trend is by no means confirmed, nor is it evident across much of the retail sector. “The topic continues to be highly relevant—if anything, its importance has grown,” reports Claudia Horbert, Head of the Retail Space Planning & Store Design Research Unit at the EHI Retail Institute. She has conducted numerous discussions with industry stakeholders in the course of the study EHI Store Monitor 2026, which is scheduled for publication in time for EuroShop. Silke Lederhaas, Head of Quality & Sustainability at umdasch The Store Makers, draws similar conclusions: “We see that sustainability remains a key priority for our customers and is sometimes even an integral part of their corporate strategy. Topics such as CO₂ reduction, the use of sustainable materials, and transparent supply chains are increasingly in demand and, in some cases, even decisive in awarding contracts.” At the same time, Mischa-Ron Ferenschild-Bätzel, General Manager at Fotoboden, concedes “that customer expectations for sustainably designed projects tend to be higher in economically stable times than during periods of uncertainty.”
Refresh and Re-Use Instead of Entirely New Concepts
Questions such as “Where do store fittings come from?” and “How are they manufactured?” are being asked more and more frequently, says Claudia Horbert. She attributes this development partly to legislative requirements and partly to intrinsic motivation within the industry. Much has changed in recent years—some of it driven by cost pressures—but overall it has contributed positively to sustainability efforts. The cycles between full-scale store refurbishments are becoming longer. “Retailers are acting far more resource-efficiently and planning with greater longevity,” Horbert observes. Regular updates aligned with current trends or designed to surprise end customers are now typically achieved through smaller adjustments and flexible store concepts rather than complete overhauls.
Re-use is also gaining importance. umdasch The Store Makers actively offers the continued use of existing shopfitting elements, adapting them to new conditions and requirements. A similar approach is taken by ppm Planung + Projekt Management. Managing Director Frank Bittel emphasizes:
“It is crucial to ask the right questions as early as possible when planning new or remodeled store environments—to think from the end result backwards. We advise our clients on the use of climate-friendly materials, rely on construction methods that later allow clean separation of materials for recycling, and can measure the resource consumption of the fixtures we supply.” umdasch also provides Sustainable Design Consulting, using its proprietary digital materials database ECOlib, which contains several hundred sustainable materials, including Genkork. These three-dimensional panels made of natural cork agglomerate enable entirely new aesthetic forms thanks to digital manufacturing processes.
Product Innovations at EuroShop
Exhibitors are currently offering only selected previews of the product innovations they plan to showcase at EuroShop in Düsseldorf. Pfleiderer, a wood-based materials manufacturer, will place strong emphasis on OrganicBoard Pure P2. This particleboard is made entirely from recycled wood and bonded using a fully biogenic adhesive instead of a fossil-based one. Fotoboden will spotlight the advantages of customized printed flooring solutions and announce that, from 2026 onward, its entire product range will be available in the Biorenyl quality. Unlike conventional vinyl flooring made from fossil-based oils, the PVC used in Biorenyl incorporates plant-based oils from circular sources, including by-products from the catering and wood-processing industries.
“Compared with our previous flooring, this saves 40 percent CO₂ in the production of the printable base material,” says Ferenschild-Bätzel. South Tyrolean company Schweitzer is presenting what it calls its “latest developments in refrigeration technology,” according to owner and CEO Bernhard Schweitzer. At the previous EuroShop, the company introduced plug-and-play Waterloop systems—sustainable, flexible alternatives to traditional refrigeration installations. Waterloop uses the natural refrigerant R290, which features an extremely low Global Warming Potential (GWP).
Broad-Based Commitment Beginning at Corporate Sites
In addition, companies attending EuroShop will be reporting on diverse sustainability initiatives across their operations. Pfleiderer arrives in Düsseldorf as the winner of the German Sustainability Award 2024 in the category of basic materials/wood processing. “We recycle more waste wood than any other company in Germany,” underscores Michael Schiebe, Sales Director Retail & Contract. Post-consumer recycled wood accounts for 53.5 percent of the company’s overall wood mix. Another 25 percent consists of sawmill by-products, while the remaining 21 percent is sourced from thinning operations and damaged timber, predominantly from domestic forests. Wood that has reached the end of its material lifecycle is used for energy generation at production sites. Pfleiderer supplies approximately 87 percent of its total heat and electricity demand through its own combined heat and power generation based entirely on biomass, and has reduced Scope 1 emissions by 41 percent since 2020.
Schweitzer also focuses on responsible wood sourcing, purchasing wood and wood-based materials from local family-run businesses, all of which must hold FSC and PEFC certification. Both the company’s South Tyrolean workshop and its logistics center in Hungary are similarly certified. Materials such as recycled acrylic and metal—containing up to 60 percent recycled content—are becoming increasingly significant. “We are working toward full traceability of our supply chain in the medium term,” Schweitzer notes, adding that the company already covers 65 percent of its electricity needs through photovoltaic installations at its headquarters. Waste heat from compressors is reused to support internal water supply.
Net Zero as the Shared Goal
Fotoboden produces in Cologne using 100 percent solar power. Its on-site PV system generates roughly 80,000 kWh more electricity per year than the company consumes; the surplus is fed into the grid. Production offcuts are returned to the PVC recycling loop, and used flooring from projects is donated to Trash Galore for reuse in nonprofit facilities. ppm has operated as a climate-neutral company since 2019 and has reduced its carbon footprint from 150 to 55 metric tons over this period. Self-generated electricity—alongside purchased green power and gas—contributes to these improvements, as does an electric vehicle fleet that now accounts for 95 percent of company vehicles. At umdasch, sustainability is approached holistically. As Silke Lederhaas makes clear, the company’s defined target is Net Zero by 2040.
About EuroShop 2026
The Shopfitting & Store Design dimension is the heart of EuroShop and its largest segment. Around 450 exhibitors—including leading architectural and store design firms as well as manufacturers—will showcase their latest developments across more than 27,000 square meters of exhibition space. In addition to sustainability, key themes of EuroShop 2026 include artificial intelligence, digitalization, and emotionalization. Alongside the exhibition with approximately 1,900 exhibitors from more than 60 nations, the trade fair will feature an extensive supporting program with seven stages, numerous special areas, guided innovation tours, and store tours throughout Düsseldorf.
Further information about the trade fair is available at www.euroshop.de
