2026 Interzoo Honors Commitment, Sustainability and Pioneering Spirit in the Pet Industry

To mark the opening of Interzoo 2026, the organizer, WZF – Pet Industry Services, presented the Interzoo Awards to honor outstanding achievements in the areas of sustainability, commitment and pioneering spirit.

During the opening ceremony of Interzoo 2026 in Nuremberg, WZF – Pet Industry Services recognized outstanding achievements relating to the world’s leading trade fair for the pet industry. With the Interzoo Awards, presented for the second time this year following the 2024 event, the Interzoo organizer recognized commitment, innovative strength and sustainable corporate strategies that shape and further develop the international significance of Interzoo.

Norbert Holthenrich, President of ZZF – German Pet Trade & Industry Association, the honorary sponsor of Interzoo, was presented with the Interzoo Personality Award. Under his leadership, the B2B trade fair has steadily established itself as a global platform for the pet industry, emphasized Gordon Bonnet, CEO of ZZF and WZF, in his laudatory speech.

“When Norbert was involved in his first Interzoo in Nuremberg in 2012, the fair featured 1,539 exhibitors from 53 countries. Today, there are around 2,400 exhibitors from some 70 countries. These figures demonstrate a clear commitment to viewing internationalization as an opportunity and developing it further,” said Bonnet.

Holthenrich has always prioritized maintaining the right balance between dynamism and stability and making well-considered decisions – underpinned by experience and a strong sense of responsibility.

The international appeal of Interzoo is once again underlined by the Interzoo Long Distance Award: Zealandia Ltd. was honoured as the exhibitor who had travelled the furthest to Nuremberg. Zealandia Ltd., a manufacturer of sustainable pet food for dogs and cats, is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, 18,300 kilometres from Nuremberg.

“This honour exemplifies the highly international nature of the world’s leading trade fair and its role as a global meeting place for exhibitors, decision-makers and innovators from all over the world,” said Peter Ottmann, CEO of the Nürnberg Messe Group.

The Interzoo Sustainability Award was also presented at the opening ceremony. The award went to dsm-firmenich. The winner of the first prize had already been decided earlier that afternoon by a vote of the attendees at the first Interzoo Sustainability Conference and a panel of judges.

dsm-firmenich develops functional ingredients for pet food and animal health. With an algae-based omega-3 oil, the company is promoting an alternative to marine raw materials and encouraging the use of more resource-efficient pet food. Other finalists included i Tail Corporation (ITC) and ADM.

At the opening ceremony, Elliott Harris, former United Nations Chief Economist and Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, presented the trophy to the delighted winner, dsm-firmenich.

In his keynote speech, Harris commended the fact that the Interzoo Sustainability Conference had also taken place on the opening day of Interzoo. This sends a strong signal.

“This sector has realized that change is a shared responsibility,” said Harris, adding that the shift towards sustainability is certainly also to the pet industry’s advantage: “Markets become more resilient when companies strike a balance between profitability and responsibility.”

The Interzoo Pioneer Award was also presented for the first time. The award went to the Cologne-based company redoggo, which manufactures dog toys from upcycled materials sourced from the automotive industry, such as airbags and seatbelts. In her laudatory speech, Dr Rowena Arzt, Head of Exhibitions at Interzoo organizer WZF, praised the entrepreneurial spirit of the start-up, which is not yet two years old and is already venturing onto the global stage of the pet industry.

With this years’s Interzoo Awards, the world’s leading trade fair is once again sending a strong signal for commitment, responsibility, and innovative strength within the international pet industry.

(Photo courtesy Interzoo)