Doing our bit.
If, like us, you are an exhibitor that keeps an eye on their ‘clean’ production and operational methods, we have some good news for you. We have developed a cleaner, more sustainable way of producing recyclable exhibition stand graphics and applying sustainable building materials/methods. A green exhibition, for lack of a better phrase.
Our industry has had some bad press in the past but in recent years this has changed dramatically, somewhat driven by trend but mostly driven by technology and user demand for better products and substrates.
Our ethics have always been about being measured and sensible when producing work for our clients, not being complacent or jumping onto any old bandwagon. We’re not about to preach to the converted or are after any kudos for doing something better either, we’re just happy to be doing our job in a tidier, better way and not adding more unwanted plastic waste into the system.
How we did it.
We actually ditched single-use foam PVC products many years ago for multi-use polypropylene and now moving to paper-based graphics where it’s feasible to do so. Plus the move to reusable modular systems, considered custom build projects and none of the “build and burn” items that used be the norm.
We tasked our supply partners with finding and testing the various new materials as they became available. In fact the results have been a bonus on two fronts – we not only “Keep Britain Tidy” but we can also save everyone some money too in certain situations without diminishing the end result.
It’s been a frustrating few years because the attitude has always been “it’s someone else’s problem” to recycle the waste. When you actually trace the journey of waste (commercially or publicly) there is some mystery and myth around where it ends up. You may have seen some of the documentaries about the subject and it is a difficult one which can induce some anger in people when they’re trying to do the right thing.
A win win win outcome.
So, what if the material was biodegradable or not even waste at all but reusable? Excellent prospects for everyone as it doesn’t end up as landfill, incinerated or washed up on some Malaysian riverbank! This is why we have mostly moved to fabric and paper graphics with no drop in quality. Fabric materials can be stored, reused over and over again and recycled at end of life responsibly. Single use paper variants, aimed at the cost conscious, are simply recycled like any other paper or card item (one of the easiest). And they look great!
In summary, we have lifted quality during use, reduced weight during transport and saved space when storing, win, win, win!
We can even use these materials on nearly all our reusable stock systems which have replaced the problematic ‘one-use’ substrates. Sometimes using the other materials is unavoidable in certain situations like a lighting raft but 95% of the time now we are being a lot kinder to our environment as this is reused many times before its life is up.
We hope you’ll agree, it’s a positive move and our efforts for a cleaner future.