From banners to signage and decorations to tableware, it’s no secret that the event industry produces a fair amount of waste. Waste destined for the landfill after just a few days — or even mere hours — of use. Trade shows and conferences in particular churn out tons of trash, as tens of millions of people attend these events in the U.S. each year.

Decibel Event Management and Reborn Clothing Co. have joined forces to tackle a problem prevalent in the event industry: waste. By up-cycling event materials including banners and signage to make one-of-a-kind products such as bags and wallets, the companies hope to make a change in the industry, which includes trade shows and conventions, by reducing its environmental footprint. Decibel is an event management and production firm based in D.C. with a strong presence in Raleigh, N.C. and Reborn Clothing Co. is both owned and operated by women and is based in North Carolina.

By teaming up, this enterprise strives to reduce the event industry’s environmental footprint by upcycling event signage and materials into unique, durable products. Reborn Clothing has transformed hundreds of apparel items since its inception in 2017; with the advent of this new partnership, Reborn can take its waste-reduction capabilities to the next level.

In addition to being green, the service provided by the partnership is economical. It allows clients to extend the reach of their events into merchandising, while leaving logistics up to the innovation and experience of Decibel and Reborn Clothing. After all, what’s not to love about repurposing old materials into fun, one-of-a-kind souvenirsthat event attendees can purchase?Reusable items like these will be used long after an event is over — increasing brand exposure — rather than ditched in the trash.

As climate change remains a hot topic,companies and organizations thathave a social and environmental responsibilityare seeing an uptick in popularity among consumers and event-goers. With this in mind, Decibel Event Managementand Reborn are hoping to improve the image and quality of trade shows and conferences.

In addition to offering customized, reusable takeaways, trade shows and conferences can go green by incorporatingthese five methods into their business practices:

1. Partner with vendors who own Green Certified businesses, and choose environmentally-conscious venues
2. Ditch the landfill. Donate leftover food to local charity organizations, and make it easy for attendees to recycle by providing plenty of clearly labeled bins.
3. Design booths with sustainable materials. This is a popular method for being environmentally-sensitive, as green materials that are recyclable and reusable are becoming more cost-effective.
4. Go digital.Utilize QR codes and apps to disseminate information and keep people engaged,post links to online surveys and provide further information about your products and services via email. As an added bonus, attendees will leave events unburdened by a stack of messy papers.
5. Ship greener. Air shipping emits over twice as much carbon as ground shipping, so plan ahead in order to transport your goods via vehicle. In addition, send print jobs for signage and other projects to local printers if possible.  

Incorporating ethical,sustainable strategies like those offered byDecibel Event Managementand Reborn partnership can only improve the image and quality of trade shows and conferences. And make the world a greener place, to boot.