Whether hiring new team members, pitching to sustainable start-ups or presenting to big business with ESG audits, sustainability matters.
Industries with an environmental footprint have for many years started their sustainability journey with the 'three Rs': reduce, reuse, recycle. However, not all Rs are equal. Innovating towards reduction and reuse must not stall because an option to recycle exists.
Exhibitions and trade shows have traditionally been waste-heavy. Large custom-built exhibition stands are often disposed of at the end of a two-day event. Materials, including printing used to create these stands can be hard to recycle, difficult to store or impossible to repurpose.
Businesses want the flexibility to exhibit at a calendar of events in spaces that vary in size and layout. Repeatedly building single-use exhibition stands out of expensive to recycle materials is not a solution any business should settle for. Reduction and reuse must remain the target.
At Quadrant2Design, exhibition stands are designed with reuse and reconfigurability in mind. All stands are built from a proprietary modular exhibition stand system. The system supports an array of features that are all set within a 100% graphic look made up of printed panels that envelop every part of the stand.
Printing for reuse has taken considerable thought and investment. Latex printing is heralded as non-hazardous but for long-term reuse it requires lamination; hard to justify from a sustainable standpoint. State of the art UV printers have proved the answer. The team have also worked with a specialist supplier to produce a bespoke substrate to print on. The substrate is textured to be forgiving to scratches, stiff to avoid kinks and thanks to a choice of polyester over PVC backing there is no curl memory.
Technically the job was done; we had the stand structure that could be reconfigured for future spaces, the printing was high quality and the media was optimised for reuse. Next, we ensured longevity of assets to build further sustainability and value to the client’s investment.
The target was that graphics should outlast a client’s brand changes. Installers and the print and finishing team undergo extensive training to ensure graphics are handled with care and between events the panels are stored in a dedicated, secure, temperature-controlled facility. Graphic panels are reused at anywhere from 10 to 20 exhibitions.
Reuse is the core business strategy at Quadrant2Design. The reusability of graphics has inspired much of how we operate as a business; we offer graphics storage, free hire of hardware and a complimentary redesign and reconfiguration service. Reuse means we become a partner, offer better value and comply with sustainability demands.
Reusable products don’t have to be inflexible.
Clients can interchange, partially replace and reconfigure the location of the graphics and the features built into their stands. Artworkers and exhibition stand design consultants consider future modifications as part of the design process. This means only one text heavy panel needs to be swapped out when a language change is required and only a few panels need to be swapped out when new or seasonal products need to be displayed.
We are not alone in prioritising reusable solutions to print products. Reusable restaurant menus or at least reusable covers and inserts to those menus are possible. Repositionable vinyl stickers and window decals are readily available. Wise buyers are choosing banners with replaceable sections and lettering. Consumers are even opting for reusable wrapping paper and gift boxes. The sustainable options that offer the greatest long-term value are built on reuse and wherever possible they should support modification.
Reuse and reduction will only remain the gold standard to strive towards if they are on the radars of product designers and innovators in the print industry. Start the exercise of building reuse into your product capabilities, even if it is only as a working exercise. It may lead to a solution that offers inherent value to you clients and furthers your sustainability credentials.
James Vicefield is marketing manager at Quadrant2Design
