As the world goes green, trade show displays are following suit. Driven by customer demand, more and more exhibit designers and manufacturers are incorporating recycled, reused and repurposed materials into their designs. Just how green are trade show displays and how can you determine how eco-friendly your display is?
Customers Drive Demand For Personal Reasons
Somewhat surprisingly, the increased interest in environmentally-friendly trade show displays is not due to a mandate from businesses around the world. Rather, the demand comes at the grassroots levels, from the internal marketing teams tasked with purchasing the exhibits themselves. It is a personal interest in environmentally-friendly exhibiting options that has really driven up the demand for these products.
How Exhibit Design Firms Are Meeting Demand
Exhibit designers and manufacturers are responding to their customer requests with an increased array of “green” exhibits. Companies are meeting these demands primarily in two ways: by offering complete lines of eco-conscious exhibits and exhibit options and by purchasing from suppliers who offer environmentally-friendly products and materials.
Characteristics Of Green Trade Show Displays
To determine just how environmentally-friendly your exhibits are, look for these characteristics:
• Recyclable Materials. Is the display made from renewable resources or made from recycled materials? Are the materials recyclable themselves so that at the end of its useful life the display can be repurposed, refurbished or recycled and made into new products? Look beyond the framework of the display to the fabric used for signs, flooring materials and lighting. Less resource-intensive alternatives can be found for all of these components.
• Compact Size and Less Weight. The overall weight of a display has a big impact on its sustainability. Light-weight, modular displays consume fewer resources than large-scale, custom designs. Smaller exhibits are easier to transport. Smaller, compact designs and lower weights mean that a reduced amount of greenhouse gas emissions are emitted in transporting the display from place to place. You’ll save money by paying less on transportation costs for the life of your exhibit too.
• Responsibly Made. Find out how the design company deals with waste in their manufacturing facility. Are they recycling, reusing or repurposing the excess materials used to create their designs whenever possible?
• High Quality Design. Trade show displays that last for several years are more environmentally friendly than those that have to be replaced more often. A quality exhibit that stands the test of time means fewer raw materials are needed to create new products.
• Less Packaging. How are the exhibits packed and shipped? Are packages consolidated to save space? What kind of packaging is it shipped in? Can you reuse the packaging or recycle it?
The green movement isn’t just a passing fad. Customer interest in green exhibiting is only expected to grow year after year. If your company is one of those interested in making environmentally responsible choices in business decisions, there’s no reason not to look into green exhibits for your trade show displays. You will be pleasantly surprised by just how eco-friendly a trade show display can be!