Sustainability

Tom Beard
National Sales Manager
Eco-Systems Sustainable Exhibits

Sustainability is often achieved through modifying our behavior and natural resource usage in a way that maintains ecological balance. I say behavior, because without adopting consistent action that favors the environment, we risk a future that is simply unsustainable. As members of an estimated $44.8 billion dollar exhibition industry, our contribution to production and program activity plays a huge role in both revenue and impact. So, some might say that we have an obligation to deliberately support sustainable practices that can make a difference.

The good news is that Global Environmental Sustainability has been the driver behind everyday practices that many of us have adopted within our everyday lives. 

• Reduce waste and usage
• Reuse or repurpose things that might otherwise be discarded
• Recycle so that resources can be remanufactured with a lower impact

Entire industries have grown out of the transition toward more environmentally sustainable practices. Of course, when we think of sustainable practices in our own businesses, the short list might look something like this:

• In your shop - zero waste in production and recycling metals, plastics, cardboard or pallets.

• In your office - recycling paper, cardboard, glass and plastic water bottles.

• Repurposing materials for use in your office or donating to local charities.

• Requiring vendors to be sustainably-minded, such as logistics companies or raw material suppliers.

• There are those among us, Derse exhibits for example, who have achieved LEED Certification for their buildings.

 Many of your clients and prospects have sustainability initiatives featured prominently on their websites, and in many cases, they believe that its not only good for the planet, it’s good for business. There is a great opportunity for many of our members to seek ways to support those corporate initiatives through favorable sustainable exhibit solutions and resources. 

Today, there are both custom and modular solutions that leverage renewable and reusable resources, that can be combined with program activity that significantly impacts a program’s carbon footprint. These solutions can still support great design, with high quality eco-friendly materials that won’t adversely affect budgeted resources assigned to client programs. 

Together, with our clients, it is possible to design, produce and manage programs that create positive momentum toward more sustainable programs in the future.