The gfu innovation forum is back in 2022: focus on sustainability

In the run-up to IFA 2022, on 13 July at the City Cube Berlin, the gfu innovation forum will take a close-up look at the sustainable use and disposal of consumer & home electronics.

Indeed, it won't be long before IFA will open its gates. Journalists are already collecting information for their preliminary reports, and experts and decision-makers are starting to organise their appointment calendars for the show days. The “pre-IFA” gfu innovation forum – with insights & trends from gfu Consumer and Home Electronics GmbH thus offers essential input. 

The forum will examine:

• To what extent are sustainability and sustainable purchasing decisions on the consumer agenda?
• Rent instead of buy
• Repair instead of throwing away
• Avoidance of waste, high-quality recycling and recovery of valuable raw material

And while topics such as the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic have dominated the media in recent times, there is another topic that continuously requires the greatest attention – in short: the need to act and do business sustainably. Some keywords are climate change, scarcity of resources and CO2 reduction.

Therefore, gfu Insights & Trends 2022 is titled: “Sustainable use and disposal of consumer & home electronics – how business, science and consumers contribute to the responsible use of resources and energy.”

In a 90-minute programme, gfu, organisers of the IFA trade show, will demonstrate how different players from industry, business consulting and the insurance industry are facing up to the sustainability challenges and have developed solutions to reduce the consumption of resources and energy over the entire life cycle of a product. 

In addition, consumers will have their say: The event starts with the presentation of the results of a highly relevant recent study by gfu in cooperation with the management consultancy OliverWyman. 

Following this, selected experts will show that technology and innovative concepts are not a threat to the planet, but to the contrary, can make an important contribution to protecting and preserving the environment and nature.

This year, gfu Insights & Trends will take place on July 13 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm in the City Cube on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.

The programme:

• Dr Sara Warneke , Managing Director of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH and Dr Martin Schulte , Global Sector Leader Consumer Durables at the management consultancy OliverWyman, will present and discuss a current consumer study that examines consumers' attitudes towards sustainability and their purchasing behaviour for consumer and home electronics.
• Patrick Hypscher, BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, presents the activities of the start-up BlueMovement, which offers consumers the opportunity to rent large household appliances instead of buying them.
• Melanie Mietzner presents the “Repair instead of throwing away” campaign with which the specialist insurer for household appliances has committed itself to reducing electronic waste and promoting the circular economy.
• Dr Helmut Spoo, an environmental consultant, shows that the avoidance of waste, high-quality recycling and the recovery of valuable raw materials are becoming increasingly important.

gfu Insights & Trends is also the kick-off event for the IFA Innovations Media Briefing (IMB), which will also take place on 13 & 14 July in the City Cube at the Berlin Exhibition Centre. 

At the event, well-known IFA exhibitors deliver the latest ideas, products and innovations in 20-minute presentations. In addition, individual talks, interviews and product presentations enable the media representatives to provide high-quality and focused IFA pre-reporting.

Registrations for gfu Insights & Trends are possible via email to: jennifer.drechsler@gfu.de

Media representatives can register for the IFA Innovations Media Briefing via email to: daniela.breitschaft@messe-berlin.de or stehle@gfu.de