REVIEW YEAR 2025
We have published our first sustainability report based on the VSME standard (Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for SMEs). The report provides an overview of environmental, social and corporate topics and shows where our sustainability management stands today. We prepared it using the German Sustainability Code (DNK) platform. It has also passed a DNK plausibility check.
Here at AXICA, located directly by the Brandenburg Gate, we see ourselves as a place of encounter where impulses for change can emerge. In the expressive architecture of Frank O. Gehry, we host congresses, conferences, award ceremonies and galas for up to 600 guests. Our clientele comes almost exclusively from the business-to-business sector: companies, associations, ministries, NGOs, event agencies and international organisations. Through our own catering brand, Hoflieferanten Berlin, we also provide culinary services for events outside our venue in Berlin and Brandenburg. In doing so, our offering is becoming more sustainable step by step.
Sustainability is not an add-on for us but part of our business model. We work on the principle that quality, sustainability and continuous improvement belong together. With the report we have now published, we make visible how we are progressing.
Our key figures
We source our electricity 100% from renewable sources. Our Scope 1 and Scope 2 (location-based) emissions amount to 79.2 tCO₂e, or 461.7 tCO₂e including Scope 3. By 2027, we aim to reduce these emissions by 3% compared with the 2023 base year. To achieve this, we are gradually shifting our food offering towards vegetarian and vegan dishes.
In the reporting period, we recorded 51,744 kg of waste. Of this, 42,042 kg (around 81%) was sent for recycling or reuse. We employ 55 people (30 men, 25 women), all on permanent contracts. The staff turnover rate was 5%. Since spring 2025, our management has consisted of one woman and one man.
Our certifications and self-commitments
We back up our claims with verifiable evidence. We are certified under ISO 20121, the international standard for sustainable event management. The certification was carried out by GutCert. The standard gives us a structured framework for planning and delivering events in an environmentally, socially and economically responsible way. In addition, we are certified under ISO 9001:2015 for quality management.
Responsibility for our team
We introduced the 35-hour week in 2021. We also offer flexible working-time models, mobile working and lifetime working-time accounts, which make sabbaticals or early retirement possible. A digital, anonymous reporting platform supports the implementation of the German Whistleblower Protection Act. For conflicts, a mediation body elected by the workforce is available. No confirmed human rights incidents occurred during the reporting period.
Diversity is part of our corporate culture for us. We have signed the German Diversity Charter (Charta der Vielfalt). We are also a partner of Green Chefs, an initiative to which around 500 restaurateurs in Germany have committed. We are further members of the Berlin Partner network, the Berlin Event Network and the Federal Association for Sustainable Economy (Bundesverband Nachhaltige Wirtschaft).
„We believe in openness and dialogue, whether with customers, partners or in our networks. Through regular exchange, we ensure that our measures and progress in the field of sustainability are transparent to everyone.“
Alexandra Beck, Head of CSR & Quality Management
Outlook
For us, the report is a stocktake. We want to further develop how we collect and process our data and regularly review our goals and measures. By 2026, we aim for at least 80% of our suppliers to come from Berlin and the surrounding region. We also want to increase customer satisfaction to at least 90%.
You can find the full Sustainability Report 2025 (in German) at: