From the book:

Trade show exhibit design is undergoing a revolution bringing new materials and design techniques that are lighter, easier to ship, easier to assemble and are reusable. Moreover, environmental consciousness has become a positive and marketable attribute that touts the cutting edge efficiency of many companies.

In other words, going green at your next trade show may be healthy for the planet, but it may also be healthy for your company’s bottom line.

Another free e-book is available on the Roger’s site. This one is on green tradeshow booth design. There are many different reasons to go green at tradeshows today. While ‘it’s the right thing to do’ may be a good reason, it’s seldom a motivation for much in the business world. This guide outlines the benefits to going green and the methods for doing both comprehensively and on a budget.

The guide also looks at some ways of reducing your carbon footprint that you may not have thought of.

Green materials are great, and there are a growing list of suppliers specializing in this, but there are some considerations such as reducing shipping weights and reusing components that save money and reduce impact.

The guide does list some of the suppliers that specialize in green materials such as Plybo as well as suppliers that offer a range of environmentally friendly materials such as Shaw Floors. In addition, some companies simply disclose their own environmental practices such as Wilson Art which talks about its manufacturing, recycling and shipping policies.

The cost of green materials will come down as they are more widely adopted. But because of higher costs today, many companies choose not to go green while others clench their teeth and bear the extra expense because it’s the right thing to do.

The problem with this ‘bite the bullet or politely decline’ approach is that it doesn’t truly reflect the costs of not going green. The first, and most obvious of these factors is weight. Less weight means less fuel which means less impact on the environment. However, less weight and less fuel also means less money spent on shipping and drayage (material handling fees) which are very significant expenses at any event.

The good news is that there is a huge array of materials and techniques that help reduce shipping weights. In fact, there are more ways of reducing shipping weights today than ever.