Can exhibition stands really be eco-friendly?

You might not realise it, but the materials used in the manufacture of traditional exhibition stands are often a disaster for the environment.

Because they are made from wood sourced from overforested trees and contain VOC-heavy MDF and plastics laden with harmful chemicals, typical exhibition stands and their associated fixtures are no friend of the natural world.

Add to that the fact that their bulk and unwieldiness mean that they often must be transported by special freight carriers and loaded and unloaded using heavy machinery, and the carbon footprint involved in getting them to their destination is not pretty either.

But all is not lost – a new generation of exhibition display stands, fashioned from highly sustainable, lightweight and non-toxic materials, has started to hit the markets.

Below, we take a closer look at how these sustainable exhibition stands are about to revolutionise the way exhibition stands are manufactured and transported. 

Recycled Materials

At the heart of the shift to a more sustainable paradigm in the world of exhibition stands is the use of materials from recycled and sustainable sources.

That means that both the woods and metals that go into the stands are now increasingly sourced from reclaimed and recycled sources.

The main sustainable materials used in exhibition stands include:

• FSC-certified or reclaimed wood: Used in the structural frames and base fixtures in exhibition displays due to its weight and sturdiness.

• Aluminium: A widely recycled and lightweight metal that is used to manufacture the outer frames of exhibition stands.
• Cardboard or honeycomb panels: Used across panels, signs, and boards in an exhibition installation.
• Xanita: Fibreboard panels used in display panels, made from the chippings and waste produced in wood cutting.

Recycled PET bottles: Deployed in the tension frames used to mount eco-friendly fabric graphics.

Modularity

Not only are the materials that go into exhibition stands now often taken from sustainable sources, but the stands themselves are also made to be reused and repurposed after an event.

In the past, this was not always the case – a stand might be a one-off and disposed of once it had served its purpose.

Today, exhibition stands are often made to a modular design, meaning they can be quickly and easily adapted to different spaces and therefore reused at different venues.

This modularity also means they can be packaged and shipped in flatpack-type packages or even in long cylindrical tubes, dramatically reducing their size and weight, and therefore their transportation costs.

Transportation

It’s easy to overlook just how carbon-heavy getting an exhibition stand to and from a venue can be.

Traditional stands can be bulky as they are made from dense, heavy woods, and their lack of modularity means they must often be shipped ready assembled.

This adds to their carbon footprint because they have to be transported to and from venues in large diesel vehicles and loaded and unloaded with fossil-fuel-powered machinery.

The move to more lightweight materials and modular design means that exhibition stands can now be transported to and from venues more easily and less carbon-intensively than ever before.

Fabric Graphics

The graphics traditionally used in exhibition stands can be laden with PVC, a type of plastic that requires a heavy dose of fossil fuels and chlorine in its manufacture.

Understandably, PVCs are miserable from an ecological point of view.

Fabric graphics, on the other hand, are much more eco-friendly, as they are made from recycled polyester (rPET), which comes from used plastic drink bottles.

Plus, fabric graphics can be mounted using tension frames, not heavy adhesives, meaning you don’t have to resort to chemical-laden glues to get graphics and images to stay in place.

Low-Voc Paints

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) have been commonly used in the manufacture of paints, solvents and adhesives for decades.

VOCs, however, are suspected to be carcinogenic and have been associated with a host of other serious health issues.

Today, you can buy stands that use solvent-free paints and coatings, meaning the graphics you see at an exhibition will be vivid and hard-wearing, but free from the harmful chemicals that have traditionally been used to produce them.

Conclusion

Happily, the world is moving to the use of more eco-friendly materials in many of its consumer products, and exhibition stands haven’t been left untouched by this trend.

Go Displays has been at the centre of these developments.

The company offers an eco-friendly array of exhibition boards, including super lightweight 4.5 mm cardboard displays, ideal for banners and backdrops, and Xanita stands, fibreboard-based boards that are toxic-free and entirely recyclable.

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