Even if you make the most environmentally responsible decisions during the stand design and build process, what happens to your stand after the event is just as important.
In the past, at the end of an event, the priority was tearing down and getting rid of stands as quickly as possible to meet venue deadlines. As an exhibitor, the chances are you’d have to arrange your own stand removal, with little to no visibility on what happens after it has been taken down.
In most instances, stand materials would be mixed together and sent to a general waste skip. You may have been told that the recyclable materials would be recycled, but you wouldn’t be provided with any assurance that this had actually happened. Without proper end-of-life handling, you can’t be sure of the environmental implications of your exhibition stand.
However, a managed model keeps you in the loop. It’s a planned, considered process, where materials are collected directly from the venue before being carefully sorted.
Anything that can be reused, will be, and anything that can’t will be routed into the relevant recycling streams. Aluminium frames are reused whenever possible, but if they are at the end of life, these will also be recycled. Although most exhibition hall carpet is thrown away after just one use, working with a specialist waste partner can help ensure it is recycled instead.
If you have ESG targets to reach, stand lifecycle tracking is incredibly important. Using a single partner with a managed model means you’ll have access to information such as how many times a frame or system has been reused, and the percentage of materials that have been recycled, reused or disposed of.
Having access to this data supports sustainability reporting requirements, and provides evidence of how event activity can contribute to a business’s wider sustainability goals. When you have that level of insight, the sustainability of your stand becomes a measurable outcome.
Although a modular stand is considered the most sustainable option, it ceases to be the eco-friendly choice if it’s only used once. Thinking about exhibitions as a connected programme rather than just one-off events can mean significantly reduced carbon emissions over time.
Treating events as something that happens every now and then means repeated redesign and rebuild. That means that for every event, you’ll be using more materials and production emissions to create a new stand, followed by more waste after the show. If there’s long periods of time between events, you’ll likely also need new graphics to reflect updated branding and messaging.
Planning a programme of events means that you can get the most out of a modular exhibition stand. Events can be tiered, with a reuse strategy assigned to each tier.
For example, for flagship shows where you want to make an impression, you could introduce more experiential or custom elements to the exhibition stand. For a secondary-tier show, the layout of the modular stand can be simplified for a smaller carbon footprint.
Stand messaging should be kept evergreen, so that it can be reused for each show, with the option of updating specific panels if needed. Fewer materials being produced means fewer emissions, and reduced waste at events.
Alongside the traditional metrics that are measured after shows - like ROI and leads - you could introduce low-carbon KPIs. This could include the number of reuses per stand system, the number of graphics reused per year, and the reduction in the amount of new materials that have been produced. Acquiring this data can demonstrate that exhibiting at multiple shows can be better for the environment in the long term.
Of course, exhibition stands aren’t the only source of carbon emissions at an event.
Travel - the biggest lever you influence
One of the largest sources of event emissions doesn’t even happen at the event itself - it happens before it’s started. Delegate and exhibitor travel makes up the majority of overall event emissions.
Even the most eco-friendly stand design choices can be outweighed by poor travel choices, but thankfully, it’s something that can be easily managed with careful planning. Opt for rail, bus or tram trips wherever possible, as public transport is more sustainable than car journeys. Even better, if you have local or regional teams, the stand could be staffed by those who live closest to the venue where possible.
Giveaways and on-stand extras - cutting the plastic habit
Marketing materials are also a significant contributor to event waste. Freebies may get attendees flocking to your stand, but they are often discarded quickly.
Instead, move towards a more curated selection of items from B-Corp-certified suppliers like The Social Supermarket that people will actually want to keep. Steer clear of using date- or show-locked branding on the items, so that you can offer them across events.
There’s also the option of getting rid of physical products altogether. Digital incentives such as free trials or downloadable content offer great value without creating waste, and are a great way of getting attendee data.
Choosing sustainable suppliers and frameworks
Who you choose to work with can have a significant impact on your sustainability outcomes. Suppliers determine elements like material sourcing, logistics and waste handling, all of which can affect your carbon emissions.
Opting for suppliers that align themselves with recognised frameworks will bring more credibility. For example, ESSA has a Sustainability Accreditation that celebrates exceptional sustainability performance, split into six different tiers.
Better Stands is a programme that provides a consistent global framework to measure the sustainability of event stands, moving away from disposable stands in favour of more sustainable options.
If sustainability feels risky, it’s usually because it’s vague. The quickest way to reduce risk (and make progress) is to build a repeatable approach that you can track over time.
That means:
Use these questions to sanity-check your current approach and identify where to focus next:
If you can answer these clearly, you're already in a stronger position than most exhibitors, because you've moved sustainability from an abstract idea to a managed, reportable process.
If you have any questions about our exhibition stands and event services, get in touch with the GES team.