How to Make Your Signage or Tradeshow Booth More Sustainable
Eco-friendly tips to make your next signage project or expo booth be more low-impact through material choice.
This last week I had a lovely follower of this Substack reach out and ask about sustainable signage and other marketing materials and if there was anything I could recommend! I thought it was a great question that everyone would benefit from! And so, we have this week’s issue! (P.S. If you have any Green Design questions seriously email or comment them, I will do the research for you if I don’t already know the answer hehe. I’m happy to help. I’m a nerd for this stuff. Like for real, that lovely reader asked me a simple question and here’s a like 3,000 word response!)
While the original ask was focused on signage, I wanted to develop the concept a bit further with talking about other types of physical marketing materials, notably ones associated with expos, tradeshows, conventions, and the sort. It can be a tricky thing to navigate and there’s a lot of greenwashing.
I’ve sectioned this newsletter into three main areas:
♻️ Materials and more Sustainable Alternatives
🌱 General Tips for Thinking About Sustainability for these things
✳️ Tips on Avoiding Greenwashing when Sourcing Suppliers
Let’s Talk Materials: Most Signage and Tradeshow Booth Materials are Single-Use Plastic
A LOT of tradeshow and signage materials are made with fossil fuels. In fact, basically most of them. Banner stands are polyvinyl chloride (PVC), tablerunners and backdrops are polyester, and signage is acrylic. There isn’t always another choice for the exact piece you’re creating in a feasible budget, but there are sustainable signage options available!
I wanted to explore some of the standard promotional materials you might be printing and what sustainable options exist for that. The issue isn’t a supplier list (impossible to provide something for every country!), but is more some ideas for getting started on what to look for for specific eco-friendly alternatives to various signage solutions.
Switching to Eco-Friendly Materials Options
Starting Easy: Paper-Based Materials
BUSINESS CARDS, ONE-PAGERS, PROMOTIONAL SHEETS, BROCHURES, RACK CARDS, ETC.
Anything paper-based, you’ve got an easy set of accessible options. Instead of printing on virgin paper, consider printing on some % of recycled paper (100% if possible!), or using an alternative fibres such as hemp, bamboo, or cotton paper stock. If you have to print using virgin fibres, consider using FSC-certified paper stocks.
You can also design for recyclability and sustainability:
🚫 Avoid unnecessary coatings like soft touch matte, laminates, UV-Spot, and foils.
🚫 Don’t print more than you need: it might be “a deal” to print 1,000 business cards but you’re likely to change something on the card before you pass them all out. Consider ordering a practical print run for what you need.
🚫 Don’t just hand your business cards or promotional materials to everyone. Try and make it more personal and intentional who you give them out to.
Do explore alternative options such as digital business card apps on your phone to transfer contact details virtually and easily! Saves the person you’re talking to the time of transcribing your information from your business card by hand!
Fabric Backdrops/Table Runners
Instead of using a plastic-based material and fibre like polyester or acylic that shed microplastics, consider sourcing a banner that’s made out of cotton or another natural fibre.
If you want to be extra, if you find an organic cotton option, all the better! But any natural fibre cloth will be significantly better and less harmful than plastics. Also a random note, but if your client has to wash their polyester sign or cloth, advise them to gently handwash instead of putting it in a washing machine as it will shed less microplastics that way.
Foamcore/Corrogated Plastic Posters or Signs
Foamcore sucks. It’s a multilayer composite composed of paper or plastic with an interior core of foam. it’s often used for cheap faster posters. Another common option is corrogated plastic which isn’t much better. It’s made from polypropylene which is #5 in the recycling system which while technically recyclable is hardly recycled in practice.
Some alternative options are considering paperboard/thick cardstock or corrogated cardboard posterboards or even particleboard/wood that has been printed on.
Some examples of the look and composition of these are from SmartPress:
Acrylic Transparent Signs
Acrylic is used for a lot of transparent signage, especially for interior signage or for stands for tabletops. For interior and larger-scale signage, consider using glass instead of acrylic if appropriate. Glass is an insert material and doesn’t leech anything harmful if it ends up in landfills.
For tabletop stands, consider being judicious with the purchase of them and aim to reuse them infinitely if purchased. Consider thrifting or using other stands like picture frames to place posters on your table as well or to create riser systems for displays. Anything small but useful like this if you can thrift or find an alternative second hand vs buying new is always better! Secondhand acrylic risers > virgin ones!
Vinyl Posters and Displays (Banner Stands, Posters, etc).
Vinyl is often used for flexible signage like banner stands or large posters or backdrops. Instead of vinyl which is traditionally made out of PVC plastic, consider using a fabric alternative. Flexible signage and banner stands can be made out of cardboard, cotton, or bamboo fibres.
If you have to use vinyl, pick vinyl that either can be recycled or even more preferrably, is made out of reycled vinyl itself!
Other Signage (Logos, etc).
This is kind of a catchall category for various forms of signage that aren’t specifically related to individual common types of marketing materials. A lot of it’s made of plastic. It’s just the theme of signage. Usually acylic letterforms for logos, etc. Signage can be done different ways though! Both interior and exterior signage can be made from aluminum or different types of wood!
Aluminum is, in my opinion, the best option. It’s high-quality/durable and very easily recyclable. If it does end up in landfill it, there are no harmful impacts from it. It also looks very classy!
Wood or bamboo is another option: this one I give a bit of a caveat to. While wood is much better than plastic as a material, the foresty industry isn’t always reputable and it’s possible the wood is coming from unsustainable sources or illegally harvested from important forest ecosystems like oldgrowth forests. If you’re sourcing wood, make sure it has a reputable certification like FSC or Ancient Forest Alliance so that it can be traced to a verified forestry supply chain that was harvesting ideally as sustainably and legally as possible (we’ll cover this more in next week’s substack!).
And so, leads us to the question:
What to do about a corrugated plastic sign that is made for special events that will be used outside but isn’t temporary enough to use metal or wood for? How does one make a situation like that sustainable?
If this were my client I’d ask them a few questions for responsible signage in an attempt to avoid or reduce truly temporary, disposable signage:
What elements and information are on the signs right now that are produced and what is stopping them from being re-used in a following year?
Does the event have a yearly name with brand equity? Can it be given an easily recognizable name to create a unifying experience people can identify easily each year?
Can the sign’s text be simplified (ex: SUMMER SALE 2023! to SUMMER SALE) while still being able to draw in customers or clients? (It’s likely the answer won’t be as simple as this, this example is 100% an oversimplification, but it’s an example of re-thinking the copy and approaching the problem from the ground up with strategy instead of only thinking about material).
In what ways can we create a sign or set of signs that can be re-used each year in order to save costs re-printing every year?
If a sign can be created that is evergreen, what alternative material options are affordable? Aluminum? Is a cotton banner appropriate?
Even if a plastic sign is used, can it be something we re-use each season or is it not durable enough? Can an alternative plastic feedstock be used that isn’t petroleum based like this Stygreen Option?
Note: Changing the material the plastic is made from doesn’t reduce the lifecycle harm of microplastics or pollution but it does decrease the fossil fuel emissions caused from its creation slightly by avoiding petroleum. Choosing something made from PLA instead of polystyrene is still plastic and Stygreen linked as an example is midly greenwashed (see greenwashing section for more detail). But if you’re stuck with plastic as the only option, this is slightly less harmful.
Sometimes decisions in businesses are made mostly on inertia for what’s always been done. This isn’t always true and it could be that even when re-examining signage and copy from scratch, it’s not possible to evergreen a sign (or the client won’t want to). The best you can do then is try and pick a material that’s hopefully more "recyclable” than another: so avoiding mixed materials and preferentially picking a material that is recyclable in your area (this will depend for everyone differently and your client so look up your local/geographically relevant recycling guides to confirm if a material at least has a chance of being recycled.) I’m not going to lie to you and say that it will be recycled just because it’s technically recylable but it might have a slim chance of it.
Often sustainable design is making tough compromises and sometimes we’re quite limited in what’s viable or available. Even just having explored the process with a client should be considered a win and important experience even if it doesn’t result in a satisfactory outcome! Sometimes that’s just how it goes! All we can do is try our best.
And while this isn’t a supplier list, these supplier websites were helpful and might be useful to you too!
If you’re a keener and want even more information, especially about the harmful impacts of the different materials, I highly recommend you read this white paper on “The Case for Green ADA Compliant Signage”.
On Digital Signage
Digital signage is often touted as being inherently more sustainable than printed materials as you can replace/reupload/change the designs on it with ease. This is true! But there are some important things to keep in mind when considering digital displays:
For the tradeshows you will have to have access to a power outlet to turn the display on (not always a problem, but not always a guarantee either).
Digital displays can be crappy quality and need expensive repairs or break frequently.
Digital displays are a physical material too, just as a poster or banner is. Tech waste is a huge problem and if you’re going to be choosing a digital display, ensure you’ll be using it for a long period of time and are willing to repair it if it breaks instead of throwing it away for a new one.
Evergreen Everything (Where Possible)
It can be tempting to want to customize all your signage and marketing materials to the specific event you’re preparing for: putting in dates, coupon codes, or other event/time-specific information so customers can see it easily and immediately. I would encourage against this practice; in order to be environmentally responsible in signage use it’s best to discourage semi-permanent signs that are disposed after use each time.
When designing larger banners and signage the best practice for sustainability is to make it as evergreen as possible. By doing this, the banner or signage can be reused year after year. For every piece of marketing material from a tablecloth to a rack card, consider how to design the piece so that it can be reused as many times or in as many situations as possible.
Tips for Evergreening
🌱 Avoid specific messaging around seasonal themes and focus on branding.
🌱 If it’s a seasonal sale that re-occurs every year, design for that same event in a way so you can reuse the sign every year (for example: include the name of the event but not the dates).
🌱 Consider putting event-specific information on paper handouts or digital signage instead.
🌱 Think about all the different venues or spaces you might use any particular marketing piece and what would be most effective for all use-cases.
🌱 Is your business going to be rebranding or changing important information soon? Consider investing in marketing materials after the re-brand is completed, not before to save you having to throw away the old materials.
On Merchandising
Don’t do it.
Not but really, don’t. All that branded junk that gets handed out at conferences is just single-use plastic. Nobody uses your weird USB dongle or your shitty branded magnet calendar. It’s all going in the garbage as soon as they get back to their hotel and it doesn’t have the draw you think it does to get people over to your booth (or encourage brand recognition after). Hot take. Just avoid the waste and make a cool-looking booth instead!
Be Prepared with Extra Lead Time
These sustainable suppliers for not-quite-traditional tradeshow materials and signage might require longer lead or production times to manufacture what you need. A lot of businesses default to cheap plastic options for signs because they’re doing their materials last minute and need them in time for their event last minute. If you’re wanting to things right, prepare all your materials well in advance of your event and talk to suppliers about manufacturing and printing times so you’re not caught empty handed.
Marathon, not a Sprint
Converting marketing materials and signage to be more sustainable can be a time consuming and sometimes expensive process. Take comfort in that you don’t need to have everything right immediately for you or your client. Consider taking it slow in stages (unless ofc they have a full blowout budget, then go off) and upgrading or replacing materials over a few years or a few events. There’s no failure in taking it slowly and sustainably as an evolving process. Maybe this next tradeshow it’s 100% recycled business cards, and the next one is cotton banners.
Remember too that while this is all exciting, the most sustainable option is actually the thing you already have. So if your client doesn’t need to have things reprinted make sure to get maximum lifespan out of them before reprinting a new option. Ordering new business cards on a more “eco-friendly” paper stock when you already had business cards is more harmful to the planet than waiting until the old ones were used up!
Avoiding Greenwashing (It’s Hard!)
Even while I was doing research for this Substack, I came across a variety of different tradeshow material suppliers and manufacturers that had some pretty shady greenwashed marketing. I’ve compiled a few things to keep in mind for vetting a supplier’s website:
✳️ Avoid mixed-material pieces whenever possible. If there are composite structures (containing multiple layers of different materials) these are always more difficult (if not realistically impossible) to recycle. So, even if your choice is between two unsustainable options like a poster printed 100% plastic, or a layered composite of plastic and foam, consider picking the option with the least amount of material types. It at least has a chance to be recycled.
✳️ Beware claims that state how “eco-friendly", “recyclable”, and “better than traditional plastic” their EcoProductNameHere™ (it always has a ™ lol) seems to be when they don’t give you transparent information about what their special material is actually made of. This usually means just some other type of plastic that’s not functionally that different from the traditional offerings. One of my heuristics is “what are they NOT telling me” to evaluate the credibility of the supplier! A credible supplier for sustainable products will be comfortable talking about the realistic imperfect sides of certain sustainable materials with you. Beware solutions that are “too good to be true” with their marketing claims.
✳️ Check out any certifications they list to see how trustworthy or reliable they are (look for as much detailed information as possible on the certification sites, vs just vague marketing copy about how great it is). This is especially important for forestry/wood certifications!
✳️ Plant-based plastic is still plastic. (Often PLA although PLA is a type of plastic and doesn’t refer solely to its feedstock). It just didn’t use petroleum as a feedstock for its creation. It is chemically-identical to regular plastic. If you’re exclusively choosing between plastics, plant-based plastic is better, but any claims around its ability to biodegrade more naturally because it’s plant-based are incorrect and misleading.
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Thank you so much for this amazing research. I'll share this with my client so we have plenty of time to plan for our fall signage. I really appreciate all you're doing to educate our industry
Whenever I'd go to design conferences or my old job had huge events like conferences, I was always so bummed about the single-use items - especially the big banners, step & repeats, etc. I'd try to design them in evergreen ways but if it was a one-off event, much of it got trashed.
The real client examples helped (e.g. when you suggested language changes)
And yay for aluminum! I've been seeing plastic water bottle companies shift to using it so, on the surface, it seems like a good move.
I hadn't thought of the digital signage part so including the bit about tech waste was a nice reminder. At an old job, we'd try to book rooms or spaces that already had large screens/monitors or those pull down screens for projectors. Not sure if that helps in the grand scheme of things haha
And lastly, on the merch... I've been poking around for better ways to approach physical products at these big places. Some say less but higher quality and practical (e.g. a tote is more likely to get used than a mousepad or some random 'swag'). Some say ditch physical stuff all together. Some say only make physicals if it's for a workshop and relevant (e.g. a journal with prompts for a writer's retreat). I love experiential design so I'll probably be looking into this more.