Greenwashing in the Events Industry

Greenwashing has become a prevalent issue in exhibitions, as the industry faces increasing pressure to make sustainable choices. Whether it’s offsetting initiatives or disposable stands hiding under a guise of recyclable materials, false sustainability claims are everywhere. With so much noise, it has become very difficult for businesses to make actual, sustainable choices.

In this article, we discuss the scale of the waste in the industry, the problem, the most egregious practices and materials, and actionable solutions.

While exhibitions bring great value to businesses, they also generate significant waste. Last year alone, there were 1,100 exhibitions in the UK, approximately 9.1 million visitors and 178,000 exhibitors. That’s a lot of travel emissions, energy and exhibition stands. Without genuine eco-friendly practices, the industry is currently not sustainable.

According to a recent Better Stands Study, one-use disposable exhibition stands contribute as much as 80% of the waste in exhibition halls.

When people think of disposable exhibition stands, they often picture very cheap, flimsy pop-up stands or very large custom-built stands. They don’t often think of the stands made from bamboo, wood, or chipboard, yet these are some of the worst greenwashing offenders. While they are often promoted as sustainable due to their recyclable materials, we believe they do not truly qualify as sustainable options. Recyclability is a positive “end-of-life” sustainability feature, but it does not, on its own, make a product sustainable.  You wouldn’t consider a plastic, one-use water bottle to be sustainable, as the reusable alternatives are so much better – exhibition stands are no different.

Companies choose these stand-types, believing they are making a positive choice. In reality, the stands could harm their ESG audits, reputation and the environment.

Carbon offsetting is a popular strategy in the industry, using sustainable initiatives to “balance” their carbon footprint. While offsetting is not inherently bad, it can be used to avoid making genuine cuts to emissions, which is often a point of criticism.

Offsetting has its place, particularly among companies that physically cannot lower their emissions, but for others who can, it should be a complementary initiative, not a stand-alone effort.

The term “Modular” has been used to refer to a range of different solutions, many of which are not really reusable, and therefore not sustainable. The term once referred to solutions which could be rearranged in different configurations for at least an entire events calendar. Part of the value proposition is that these stands can pack down for easy storage and be easily rebuilt at the next show.

In recent years, “hybrid” custom stands have been frequently marketed as modular. These stands may be constructed from multiple elements, but they cannot really be “reused” or “reconfigured” in the traditional manner. Though the elements can be broken apart post-show, their reuse, if elements are in good enough condition to reuse, is reliant on a professional redrilling and refinishing. Not only do the build and breakdown methods often compromise the condition of the elements, but storing these components is often so tricky that the parts end up in the bin.

A practice which we are seeing more of in the events industry is selective reporting, or lack of reporting altogether. An example of this might be boasting about the ban on single-use plastics, but not reporting the actual waste from an individual event, or the travel emissions related to it.

This practice is harmful as it suggests that the event industry has made more progress than it actually has. Without genuine research or benchmarking, it is difficult to implement worthwhile sustainability schemes.

The events industry has been making positive improvements, particularly with organiser regulations to work in line with Better Stands standards. This is a positive step toward genuine, sustainable solutions.

In order for us as an industry to achieve true sustainability, we need organisers and industry bodies to research the uncomfortable truths and set a realistic benchmark of the current waste and emissions in exhibitions. This will allow us to make genuine improvements and changes.

Businesses that want to ensure they are making sustainable decisions should consider the entire event from start to finish. That means, looking at travel emissions, choosing reusable solutions, sustainable materials and ensuring that all aspects of the exhibition genuinely reflect the business values.