Events generate massive amounts of waste and leave behind huge carbon imprints on the ecosystem. While both event planners and participants have a drive for sustainability, it really comes down to the cost for sustainability fitting within their budget.
It is estimated that a single event attendee can generate more than four pounds of waste and emit another 400 pounds of CO2 in one day. Now, take this number and multiply it by hundreds or even thousands. You may be able to somewhat get an idea of the impact these events have on the environment, but for most of us it’s unfathomable.
While the facts and numbers can be mind-jarring, it does not have to stay that way. It is in everyone’s ability to be able to reduce the event’s impact on the ecosystem. This feat can be achieved by making eco-friendly and smart choices without going over budget.
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Event Sustainability is Still Not a Mainstream Practice
The modern business landscape and consumers of the global market are increasingly gunning for brands and businesses that have adopted sustainable practices in their day-to-day operations. With the planet, and the people, needing us to reduce the carbon footprint and waste generated in events, going green at the end helps everyone, and it’s not as tough as it looks.
You might wonder how this is possible. Can I really help the ecosystem thrive, and show up sustainably without blowing the budget out of proportion? YES!
Here are four ways you can go eco-friendly and enhance not only brand reputation and help the environment, but also limit the dent on the budget.
4 Tips for Sustainable Event Organisation Without Going Overbudget
Eco-Friendly Printing
The easiest way to go sustainable for your event is to opt for displays made of eco-friendly materials like ReBoard and fabric.
Re-board displays are the sustainable counterparts of traditional materials like MDF, as it’s manufactured using water-based adhesives, meaning it can be recycled as paper. ReBoard doesn’t contain toxic coating or harmful chemicals and is comparatively lighter in weight than MDF boards – making it easier, and cheaper, to transport from one venue to the other and thus lower carbon footprint significantly.
The latest eco-friendly printing option revolutionising the market, UV printing, was not on anyone’s radar until very recently when it burst into the commercial market and changed the printing business forever. Many reputed large format printers like Next Printing offer this niche service to customers. Unlike it’s traditional counterparts, UV printing reduces water usage in the printing process and leaves a minimal to zero carbon footprint. The ink used in UV printing dries very quickly and does not release volatile organic compounds (VOC) into the air, which also means you don’t have to spend extra on coating for these eco-friendly displays.
More Digital and Less Paper
Whether it is a tradeshow, conference, an annual convention, or corporate event, paper usage is exponentially high before, during, and after the event has concluded. The best way to eliminate the paper trail is to rely as much as possible on digital communication. With the help of apps, websites, QR codes and social media, you can swap out the itineraries and paper maps for digital access to participants and attendees to reduce paper usage.
Support Local Economy
Supporting businesses within the vicinity of the event venue and makes a positive impact on the environment, as well as the community, through cutting down carbon imprint significantly and boosting the local economy.
For example, ordering your eco-friendly displays and printing from local printers will reduce the footprint as the materials will have to travel a shorter distance to reach the venue.
Recyclable Packaging
While it is not possible to eliminate packaging completely in a big-scale event, replacing plastic with recyclable and biodegradable packaging materials and sourcing from suppliers that use more eco-friendly packaging is always a plus.
Opt for boxes, containers, cups, straws, and cushioning paper made of environmentally-safe materials. These necessarily don’t have to be paper and can be made of cardboard, cornstarch, water-soluble plastic, Biodegradable Packing Peanuts etc.
In Conclusion
Sustainability can be affordable if you do a little bit of research. The tips mentioned in the article will help you to go green to some extent.
We’d love to hear if you have any more budget-friendly sustainable ideas for hosting events in the comments below.
