In a busy year, an estimated 66,500 tonnes of name badge holders, cards, lanyards, clips and ribbons are handed out at business events. Have you ever thought about what happens to them all?

Some become cubicle flair. Others get a second life in a preschool dress-up box. But eventually, most wind up in a bin somewhere. As a tangly mix of plastic, textile, and metal, it probably means filing it in a landfill, not recycling it.

It’s not news to any event professional that meetings have a waste problem.

And while broad data for association meetings is lacking, a report released in 2022 estimates that the average B2B trade show creates 1.6 kg of waste per participant, 51 per cent of which is landfill.

Name badges are a small fraction of event waste, given that most are disposed of offsite. In truth, we know little about the “general waste and mixed materials” that comprise approximately 65 per cent of what is discarded at events. 

This is why the first step to solving waste at association meetings starts by doing something most people would prefer to avoid if given the choice: sorting through event trash to define the problem.

Waste audits can be an important first step in learning where your meeting may be wasting precious materials and money. And while not all event organisers can do extensive, professional auditing, just about anyone can quickly assess\ what is going to waste.

One approach may be to convene a small team to analyse waste in a specific event area, like catering, registration or exhibits. For example, if attendee bags or kits are prepared, it may make sense to learn about waste generated during the process in order to become more efficient and cost effective.

You may learn, as I did at one event, that a noticeable amount of waste can be generated by something widely embraced as a sustainable solution: reusable water bottles.

Branded refillable tumblers can come with a lot of packaging. In one case, bottles were enclosed with a piece of polystyrene inside an individual plastic bag, contained in individual boxes, and packed in a larger box, which was wrapped in plastic. Needless to say changes were discussed with the supplier to keep bottles protected in a way that took less plastic and unpacking time.

While the process of waste reduction may start by looking into event bins, circular design for events is about asking sharper questions, like: Can we think beyond the bag (and the bottle) to reconsider the purpose of attendee kits overall, and how they can be more effective? What would express appreciation to members, give sponsors value, reduce waste, and possibly save time and money onsite?

Could front-of-house gifting hubs be set up, where participants earn and spend points to get gifts they actually appreciate? Could activation codes for experiences and digital items be offered instead of physical items, thereby also enabling event partners to create a relationship with members?

Might registration processes be adapted so guests can select the kit items they want? And opt-out of items that don’t have value to them?

Asking these types of out-of-the-box questions in order to rethink, reimagine and reduce event materials is a large part of what Honeycomb Strategies, an event impact and sustainability consultancy, does for association meeting clients. 

“When planning events, it’s critical to prioritise the value of the experience over material aspects. Attendees will remember the connections and shared knowledge more than the materials of their water glass or the floor coverings of an expo hall,” explains Corey Clark, director of events and experiences.

Graphics and overlay is one area Clark encourages clients to look at, citing the example of the Radiological Society of North America, which is curbing disposable graphics by creating accent signage they can reuse for three to five years.

This may seem like a small step, but it pays to consider alternatives when a typical 2,000-person conference can generate more than a tonne of costly banners, decorative flags and directional signage made of non-recyclable plastic.

In addition to signage reuse, organisers can tap digital options provided by venues. And where signs do need to be printed, more sustainable materials can be considered. 

For example, recyclable cardboard signs generate one-quarter of the emissions of a similar weight of PVC plastic. Shifting away from non-recoverable vinyl and polystyrene made of fossil fuels and toward the use of renewable, recycled content paperboard can reduce landfill and carbon footprint without sacrificing function or aesthetic. And depending on the economics of waste management locally, it may even save venues and organisers money.

When signage does reach the end of its useful life, Clark also suggests associations transform it into items that have continued value.

“The National Retail Federation has upcycled vinyl banners into branded fanny packs and bags to keep banners out of the landfill, creating an item that can be used by members year after year,” Clark explained.

In addition to creativity, collaboration is key to reimagining processes that have normalised a take-make-waste economy at events over many decades. 

Clark elaborates: “Since event planners can’t possibly control all waste production, there must be a collective effort.”

Consider the case of exhibitor booths, where planners, decorators, venues, exhibitors and attendees need to work together to advance circularity.

“Partnership with suppliers is a top consideration. Associations are asking for change when it comes to carpets and furnishings, and scaling up practices can have cost implications for exhibitors. Finding the right partner is important because you need to prove the use case.

“Every opportunity has a cost-benefit analysis. Our role is to help clients understand which programmes are worth the investment of time and money and which are not. Along with that, we put timelines to programmes so the slow build that is needed for something to be implemented successfully is understood and communicated to all stakeholders.”

That slow build is necessary because changing norms can take time, and organisers must ensure that event supplies are still fit for purpose. Something that is acutely felt when it comes to the lowly name badge in particular, which must be planet-conscious while at the same time not sacrificing the important security, scanning, identification and networking functions it exists to fulfill.

“We learn with every programme put in place because each industry is unique in what they need and how it is communicated. If a programme is not successful in year one, we evaluate the goal and the partners, then pivot to make it better.”

Ideally, this pivot dances between celebrating success and “failing forward” supportively, in order to learn. Something that Honeycomb Strategies lives and breathes, including sharing lessons from case studies in reuse they have piloted for meeting and tradeshow clients, such as the Natural Products Expo West’s cup reuse program.

“Everyone wants to be successful and have something to talk about after. Innovation in circularity shows thought leadership within the industry. So even when it does not meet the intended goals, we encourage our clients to talk about it because the process can help others. We are all in this together.”

Interested and able to chip in?

Here are ten questions to find circular opportunities at your meeting:

1. Does an item help members and bring them value, or is it wasteful and underappreciated?
2. Can supplies be rented or shared with another event?
3. Could the material be thinner or lighter and still fit for purpose?
4. Is a custom design really needed? 
5. Can we make the item evergreen, and continually reusable?
6. Do we need so much white space?
7. Can we avoid trim, bleeds and packaging?
8. Could it be modular or designed for disassembly to improve reuse and recovery?
9. Is there an option with recycled content?
10. What happens to it after the event, and is that the highest and best use? 

About the author

Shawna McKinley planned her first event during the 1994 Commonwealth Games when atmospheric carbon dioxide was 356 PPM. With levels now exceeding 415 PPM she works to help organizers lower the carbon cost of their events and ensure they leave a positive climate legacy. Shawna is an AMI Expert Contributor.