Our world and economy is changing every day. Some industries are flourishing and some industries are adjusting to new technology and new practices. The events industry has become one of the leading economic industries in the U.S. Did you know this industry has generated over 26 million jobs? That’s insane! With all of these workers, technology, and practices, certain trends have dominated our industry recently. One of those trends is event sustainability. At Display Group, we strive to take precautions to make sure our practices are sustainable and good for the environment and society.
Now, the term ‘sustainability’ has been thrown around a lot with a few different definitions. To us, sustainability means maintaining balance in the environment. That means avoiding diminishing nonrenewable and natural resources. In short: reduce, reuse, recycle! (Remember that from grade school?)
A lot of trade articles and publications have predicted sustainable events would be at the forefront of trends in the event and design industry for 2019. This year representatives from the Events Council – made up of representatives from events, tourism, and sustainability launched four principles designed to push the event industry to implement more sustainable practices into their companies. Their message behind the Principles for Sustainable Events was simple: be better, work together, and support a healthy natural environment.
At Display Group, we have seen shifts within the event industry, through our clients and companies, through our rentals and setups as well. Using more multi-use products or even single-use products that are less harmful to the environment are helping take this industry further into sustainability.
“Recycling stations are commonly used at major events, and many companies will opt for bamboo and other sustainable, disposable tableware,” Rick Portwood, Display Group President, said.
DG has also implemented our own sustainable practices within the company, making sure we always reuse what we can and reduce waste. We have changed how we deal with extra styrofoam and excess plastic.
“We purchased an EPS grinding and melting machine to recycle our excess foam and send it back to the manufacturer. We also save all of our scrap plastic and send it back to the distributor. In general, we reuse any inventory item that can be salvaged and any item that is taken out of inventory is sold for second-hand use,” Portwood said.
The event industry is inherently sustainable due to the re-use nature of it. The rental and event industries go hand in hand with sustainability. Still, the Principles for Sustainable events will push the industry even further into becoming a greener business.
