By admin on Wed, 11/03/2010 - 07:25

Packaging waste is always a question running in everybody's mind and lot of discussions around. Sometimes when i visit, i see so much packaging waste is generated in packaging exhibitions. Exhibitors distribute tonnes of brochures to their visitors and then they carry those home. And that extra weight also leads to extra fuel burning in planes due to additional weight. Many a times, visitors would say that please courier the brochures as their bags are already full with so much of information brochures.

I think we can reduce this wastage by a simple effort by the exhibition organizers. The printed brochures can be banned at the show and all the information can be put in the usb/cd by the exhibition organizers electronically. All the exhibitors should help in this regard and send them information timely to exhibition organizers. Organizers  can also upload the information on their website for visitors to download.

There are thousands of exhibitions organized worldwide and any such steps taken would have a positive impact to make our plant greener. What do you feel?

 

Comments

While I think your intentions are pure, you might be asking for too much a sea change in behavior.  Promotional brochures have been the mainstay at exhibitions for a hundred years or more.    To focus on a trade show that happens once a year is to miss the day to day role of each household, a much greater impact.   Sustainability has to be weighed against other factors and sometimes loses.  Been to Las Vegas?  Seen the lights and the fountains?  People weight he entertainment factors against sustainability and "green" loses.
Mon, 11/08/2010 - 06:45

Hi Sandeep, A bangon topical issue you have raised. But how do we seaparte a potential, immediate buyer from a person who is interested, but will buy later and from a person who had just come for acdemic information / updating his skills. then there are also the competitors who may want to dive deep in the plethora of brochures and catalogues to dig some sort of inforamtion. So can we have a system where the catalogues will be printed in very limited quantity and given only to those people who are seriously interested and who can pay a small amount for getting this info (large enough to deter causal visitors and knowledge seekers, but not too large to deter everyone). Of course, this amount may then be adjusted if the sale materialises. Also what about the huge number of freebies (bottles, cups, buckets, hangers, etc) that are 'moulded in the demo machines" Venkat
Mon, 11/08/2010 - 07:30
Venkatasubramanian (not verified)

You are right, its like moving from visiting libraries physically to internet libraries virtually. Physically libraries also do exist. Something ids good for someone but bad for somebody else. Its all relative but end of the day, I do feel that we can reduce it if not fully stop it. Ministers waste tonnes of fuel in the name of safety when they do not allow passenger planes landing during VIP movements at the airports but then its the question of safety. So this is an idea to look at it positively. Mist importnat thing is that lots of printed material which is just picked up, is thrown into dustbins on way back. I think that is not nice.
Mon, 11/08/2010 - 08:07

Hello Venkat You are right, its not an easy decision to take. My only thinking is that tehre is a waste and it can be reduced if not full eliminated. So this can be done if exhibition organizers take some more responsibility to distribute the information electronically and discourage their exhibition participants to distribute brochures/freebies unless they have a value to the packaging business like a small example of some new material etc. So it would need a big brain storming. But as you rightly realized that there is a potential to do something. Now, how and that is the question remains to be answered. Keep thinking! Sandeep 
Mon, 11/08/2010 - 22:36

Not just in packaging or in our exhibitions, we need to adopt the 5R pentagon in all our activities if we wish to save this planet. That is at every stage and every step we need to RETHINK - the need for  or the the type of product, REPLACE - With greener more ecologically sustainable alternatives, REDUCE - the whole consumption cycle, REUSE - in the same form or in another avatar and finally RECYCLE - in the least technologically and energy or resource intensive manner. If the 5 R pentagon is applied to packaging and products used in exhibitions and exhibotors have suitable actions plans in place we can hope to save this planet and have a greeener event.  
Tue, 11/09/2010 - 20:36
Malini Rajendran (not verified)