RAI Amsterdam wins Zuidas Sustainability Award
Friday, 14 November 2025
In 2025, numerous pieces of furniture, plants, and food were donated
RAI Amsterdam received the Zuidas Sustainability Award on Thursday, 13 November, in the category Society & Economy. The award was granted for the Donation Room project, through which RAI supports social initiatives in the city by reducing food waste at events and reusing materials.
With the Donation Room project, thousands of kilos of food, thousands of liters of drinks, and hundreds of square meters of usable furniture and other items were collected in 2025 together with events held at the RAI. This year’s donations included 700 basketballs, an electric guitar, and a drum set. “With the Donation Room Program, we connect the city, our partners, and the events we host,” says Maurits van der Sluis, COO of RAI Amsterdam. “By donating items that are used or left over to social initiatives in the neighborhood, we help them achieve their goals. The award is a recognition of our commitment to creating social value and reducing waste. We hope this inspires other companies to set up similar initiatives.”
Reducing CO₂ Footprint
This year, RAI Amsterdam took an important new step by asking suppliers to actively donate goods or services. For example, ExpoFlora, a rental company for plants, furniture, and decoration, donated a truckload of furniture and plants that could no longer be rented out. “These items found new homes with organisations such as the Salvation Army and HVO Querido,” Van der Sluis explains. “In addition to the social component, the project also has an ecological impact. Reusing goods provides a direct environmental benefit. We also prevent food from being thrown away. At a trade show like Horecava, where food plays a major role, this can amount to thousands of kilos.”
RAI Amsterdam works structurally with more than fifteen partners, including the Salvation Army, Regenboog Groep, Buurtteam Zuid, Blije Buren, and Voedselbank Amsterdam Zuid. Van der Sluis is proud of the initiative, which is fully volunteer-driven under the leadership of the CSR Team. “Employees are eager to volunteer, and the local ROC also provides volunteers. We also see that organisers and exhibitors are enthusiastic about participating in the Donation Room project They appreciate the social value, reduce their CO₂ footprint, and avoid being left with items they cannot take back. At all our own events and several third-party events, this is now a standard feature, and we aim to expand the project even further.”
RAI Amsterdam received the Zuidas Sustainability Award on Thursday, 13 November, in the category Society & Economy. The award was granted for the Donation Room project, through which RAI supports social initiatives in the city by reducing food waste at events and reusing materials.
With the Donation Room project, thousands of kilos of food, thousands of liters of drinks, and hundreds of square meters of usable furniture and other items were collected in 2025 together with events held at the RAI. This year’s donations included 700 basketballs, an electric guitar, and a drum set. “With the Donation Room Program, we connect the city, our partners, and the events we host,” says Maurits van der Sluis, COO of RAI Amsterdam. “By donating items that are used or left over to social initiatives in the neighborhood, we help them achieve their goals. The award is a recognition of our commitment to creating social value and reducing waste. We hope this inspires other companies to set up similar initiatives.”
Reducing CO₂ Footprint
This year, RAI Amsterdam took an important new step by asking suppliers to actively donate goods or services. For example, ExpoFlora, a rental company for plants, furniture, and decoration, donated a truckload of furniture and plants that could no longer be rented out. “These items found new homes with organisations such as the Salvation Army and HVO Querido,” Van der Sluis explains. “In addition to the social component, the project also has an ecological impact. Reusing goods provides a direct environmental benefit. We also prevent food from being thrown away. At a trade show like Horecava, where food plays a major role, this can amount to thousands of kilos.”
RAI Amsterdam works structurally with more than fifteen partners, including the Salvation Army, Regenboog Groep, Buurtteam Zuid, Blije Buren, and Voedselbank Amsterdam Zuid. Van der Sluis is proud of the initiative, which is fully volunteer-driven under the leadership of the CSR Team. “Employees are eager to volunteer, and the local ROC also provides volunteers. We also see that organisers and exhibitors are enthusiastic about participating in the Donation Room project They appreciate the social value, reduce their CO₂ footprint, and avoid being left with items they cannot take back. At all our own events and several third-party events, this is now a standard feature, and we aim to expand the project even further.”
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