Do You Really Need To Go “Green” In Your Trade Show Exhibit?
Many have written about “greening up” the exhibit industry. After all, every time you do a show, the exhibitors build a small city that lasts only a few days. When it’s over and everything’s torn down, the impact of all that waste on the environment can be huge.
Sometimes manufacturers make trade show booth components from materials containing harmful chemicals. These chemicals can be difficult to recycle when you’re done with them.
I read an article recently that suggested replacing your exhibit with greener credentials. This sounds like an great idea, but if the whole industry did that it would create an enormous strain on the environment. Where do all the booths go that got the “heave ho” in favor of displays that made from recyclable materials?
I’m just not a fan of the idea that we should all go green at any cost. There isn’t any logical basis for getting rid of something that still has a useful life. Replacing a useful item with a newer design that comes with a gold star for being “green conscious” is still a waste of materials.
If your booth is old and it’s time to replace it, that’s a logical and excellent time to think about acquiring something a greener trade show booth option. And I’ll have some suggestions on that in a moment.
You should also consider the “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” concept of greener living. Does your old booth still have some life in it that a smaller company, a school, a local charity or some other group could take advantage of?
If so, sell it or donate it and keep it out of the waste stream, where it would only end up clogging a landfill.
Can individual exhibitors really do a lot to reduce the carbon footprint?
Many suggestions seem obvious and simplistic. For example, ideas like using smart-phone apps or handing out thumb drives in place of printed literature. Or even offering recycled tote bags instead of plastic bags. But then, you’re not giving out literature, so what will those people be toting?
One of the sillier ideas we’ve heard is giving booth visitors pens filled with soy ink… Regular ink contains solvents, pigments, and dyes. In fact, it also has resins, lubricants, solubilizers (is that even a word?), surfactants and other ingredients.
It’s all well intended, isn’t it? But it’s not a drop in the bucket when it comes to changing the impact an individual trade show exhibitor has on the environment.
Some still champion this cause, claiming that every drop in that bucket has value. And while that may be the case, if we’re really going to take this on, can’t we get a little bolder in our efforts?
Are your grandchildren really going to thank you for saving the planet just because you gave away recycled tote bags?!
Here are some of our thoughts on how, as exhibitors, you can help the environment:
1) Create your next booth in modules.
Design your next trade show booth as a collection of modules. This will give you the greatest flexibility in using your new exhibit. Modular design will allow you to make the booth larger or smaller, depending on the needs of each show.
A Modular design also means you might not have to replace this exhibit completely in the future. Instead, just add a few new modules to change your look and design.
And when you need updates, have your exhibit supplier update the modules in an ecologically friendly way. (You can find many great examples of modular trade show booth designs on our site.)
2) Use good-for-the-environment materials when creating your new exhibit.
Consider aluminum extrusions, which constructors make from recycled (and recyclable) material. These are available in unlimited shapes, sizes and configurations. The many choices optimize the design flexibility for your next exhibit.
Also think about bamboo flooring. I’m not talking about tiki hut bamboo here! I’m talking about bamboo plywood and engineered flooring. It is stylish, and it’s also a renewable resource that comes in a multitude of forms and finishes. Even the adhesives used to manufacture bamboo flooring are environmentally friendly.
You can carry that idea further by using paints, stains and sealers in your trade show exhibit that don’t off-gas toxic fumes. Ask your exhibit supplier to use “Low VOC” (Volatile Organic Compounds) materials.
Investigate whether recycled glass may be suitable for some applications in your display. Acrylic panels (like Plexiglas, Lucite and Sintra) are made from petroleum products. Glass is recyclable, so it reduces your carbon footprint and keeps used exhibit components out of the landfill.
Don’t forget recycled materials when it comes to signage for your display, as well. As an example, there’s a new fabric that’s made from recycled old soda bottles.
Old soda bottles are recycled and turned into your new graphics! These recycled fabrics are used for banners, signs, fabric structures and other exhibit elements. (We use this fabric for all eSmart trade show booth designs.)
And while it’s a small thing, don’t overlook “green” lighting in your booth. Great strides have being made with LED lighting. There are new solutions that look good and offer every color in the rainbow. These LEDS are a far cry from those energy saving (but ugly) compact fluorescent bulbs of a few years ago – and a lot more rugged in shipping!
3) Your booth doesn’t have to be trashed when you’re done with it.
There’s a market out there for used exhibits. Even if your old booth has served its purposes for you, it may still have value to another company.
Perhaps a school, church, charity or other organization could make good use of your old booth? It may be a bit too long in the tooth for the trade show floor, yet is still structurally sound and possibly suitable for other purposes.
Granted, not every one of these ideas is going to change the world (an LED light bulb can only do so much). But there is value in “green planning,” so when you’re ready for a change, you can make choices that are healthy for the planet.
American Image Displays represents dozens of exhibit suppliers—many offering award winning, environmentally friendly designs. When it’s time to switch to something new, get in touch. You can reach us at (425) 556-9511 or email [email protected].