Ten years of Ethical Style: the exhibitors 2025

In 2025, a total of 354 exhibitors at the trade fair trio may use the Ethical Style label. An independent, international jury of experts has reviewed all the entries submitted and curated them for the special interest. The label is valid for a period of three years. For the upcoming trade fair cycle, 140 new applicants will join the programme and will present themselves to the trade with their convincing sustainability approach. To mark the tenth anniversary of Ethical Style, Ambiente welcomes 125 newly selected exhibitors; eleven more are joining Christmasworld and four Creativeworld.

Companies can apply for inclusion in the Ethical Style scheme with individual products, entire product lines or as a whole company. The scheme covers various aspects of sustainability, including environmentally friendly and recyclable materials, resource-saving manufacturing processes, handcrafted production to preserve traditions, innovative products and processes, and socially fair working conditions. The following are examples of participants that provide an insight into the range of sustainable initiatives in the global consumer goods industry.

Ambiente Dining: Studio Poemi

Poemi is a ceramic micro-manufacturer in the heart of Transylvania. It designs and produces tableware and functional items for private and professional use, such as in restaurants. The company uses stoneware and ecological glazes, which are mostly developed inhouse, with wood ash being the main ingredient. All residues are recycled and reused to produce new glazes. “A very nice holistic approach that impresses with the production process, special aesthetics and great quality,” summarises jury member and sustainability expert Mimi Sewalski.

Ambiente Living: MADE51

MADE51 brings refugee-made products to the international market. Brought to life by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), this initiative connects refugees with social enterprise partners to design, produce and market artisanal products around the world. The collection combines modern design with a variety of craftsmanship techniques. For juror Sabine Meyer from side by side Design at the Caritas Wendelstein Werkstätten, the idea of sustainability extends beyond pure materiality: traditional arts and crafts are being practised and will remain relevant in the future: “From Syrian cross-stitch, hand-woven baskets or carefully woven fabrics to fine metalwork, the pieces reflect an exciting fusion of tradition and modernity.”

Ambiente Giving: Flexbook / The Writing Fields

With ‘I love Cactus and ‘Ecosmiles’, Flexbook / The Writing Fields has launched two innovative eco-notebooks with sustainable vegetable leather covers. The cover of the former is made from the leaves of the easy-care Nopal cactus, while that of the latter is made from agro-industrial waste products from coffee, olives, almonds and lavender. “Combined with Favini's Crush paper made from citrus waste, the circular economy is complete. It gives you a smile on your face and a clear conscience,” says jury member and DEKRA sustainability expert Christina Bocher.

Ambiente Global Sourcing: CRC Exports Pvt. Ltd.

Sustainable, ethical and fair: the Craft Resource Centre (CRC) in Kolkata, India, provides income for marginalised micro-producers and is a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). The CRC's connection to the fair-trade market improves the quality of life of the producers and their families. Many have been able to become self-employed thanks to the support they receive. The artisans process a variety of environmentally friendly materials into quality fashion, home accessories and textiles, stationery, gift and decorative items. “With their fresh and modern styles, CRC is proving that fair trade can definitely implement trends today and thus offer an attractive range for concept stores,” juror Mimi Sewalski explains the jury's vote.

Christmasworld: Piovaccari

Packaging that inspires: with over 10,000 items for the decoration market, Piovaccari has in-depth expertise in everything that makes gift-giving even more beautiful. The family-owned international company, based near Florence, also places a high value on making a positive contribution to society and the environment with its portfolio. Every year, Piovaccari expands its collection to include more sustainable products made from biodegradable materials such as paper, jute, cotton, and linen, and works with OEKO-TEX-certified products and recycled yarns. Jury member Lutz Dietzold from the German Design Council notes: “With sustainable materials, you can give with a clear conscience: all packaging products are reusable and recyclable.”

Creativeworld: Favini

Good by tradition: Favini, a paper manufacturer from Italy that was founded in 1736, is committed to uncompromising sustainability. Since the 1990s, the company has been dedicated to developing papers that respect the principles of the circular economy, applying more sustainable and environmentally friendly processes and raw materials. The approaches are manifold: the portfolio includes paper goods made from alternative fibres such as seagrass and from renewable non-wood biomass. In addition, the company also uses pre- and post-consumer recycling techniques for new paper goods lines: ‘The underlying idea is to create an ‘Echosystem’ of ecological papers and practices. Hats off to Favini,’ says juror Kees Bronk from Go! GoodOpportunity, summarising the jury's decision.

Ambiente as a pioneer in the industry

It all began in 2016, when Ambiente became the first consumer goods fair to introduce the sustainability special interest Ethical-Style, which attracted 179 exhibitors in its first year. In 2025, the anniversary year, around 40 of the pioneers from that time, along with many newcomers, will still be taking part. The programme was so well received by industry and trade that Messe Frankfurt gradually rolled it out to the other two leading international trade fairs for the consumer goods industry, Christmasworld for festive and seasonal decorations and Creativeworld for the hobby, arts and crafts sector. When it celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, the Nordstil regional trade fair in Hamburg also adopted the successful scheme for sustainable product range design.