The UK event industry is valued at around £42 billion, attracting 85 million attendees annually. On average, an in-person event with 1,000 participants generates approximately 530 metric tons of CO2.
Sustainability means supporting or maintaining economic, environmental or social processes over time without depleting natural resources. With the changing landscape, businesses are under more pressure than ever to consider and report on their sustainability efforts, with 39% claiming their reputation was damaged by bad press for insufficient strategies.
For businesses, carbon reporting provides unlimited benefits, and with the event season underway, there’s no greater opportunity to participate sustainably. It’s a chance to consider sustainability from inception, and to have real insight into the impact of making greener decisions! Whether it’s exhibition stands or event displays, at Imageco, we are dedicated to providing high-quality service while championing sustainability. We want to make sustainability an option at every step, which is why we’re able to provide a Carbon Metrics report for each print and build project.
At Imageco, we offer a comprehensive Carbon Metrics report for all print builds, including exhibition stands. Using advanced technology, our report calculates the carbon footprint of your project, factoring in everything from material usage to logistics and transport. We can even provide comparative insights, benchmarking your project against typical industry standards to show how our greener approach stacks up.
This accurate, detailed data isn’t just for your records. It’s a powerful tool you can share with clients, exhibition visitors, or use across your website and social channels to showcase your sustainability credentials. It’s also ideal for ESG reporting and internal reviews, helping you demonstrate environmental responsibility to stakeholders with confidence.
With the significant amount of waste and carbon emissions produced by the events sector, our team makes sustainability a priority from day one. We embed greener practices from the outset to help minimise waste and maximise efficiency, which contributes to your Carbon Metrics Report.
At Imageco, our skilled Computer-Aided Design (CAD) engineers use the latest software to create lifelike digital prototypes of your exhibition stand. CAD is a vital part of our process, allowing us to visualise the final build in detail without producing waste through physical prototypes. With precise calculations and measurements, we ensure every component is designed to fit perfectly.
Working closely with our design team, our CAD engineers take initial vision boards and design concepts and translate them into detailed, 3D models for build-ready structures. At this stage, they look for innovative ways to optimise material usage, whether through component overlaying or smart interlocking mechanisms. We also use this phase to test structural integrity before anything goes to production.
Our CAD models can simulate a wide range of materials, from fluted card and fibreboard to metal and wood, providing a realistic preview of your exhibition stand. The designs also include important details like material weights, dimensions, and notes on fixtures, ensuring everything is ready to build safely and sustainably.
Choosing Imageco as your sustainable print partner means you can feel confident about how waste is handled. We operate a strict zero-to-landfill policy and work in partnership with Reconomy to responsibly recycle materials like Dibond, acrylic, and card.
Reconomy is committed to advancing the circular economy, a regenerative approach that reduces waste and keeps materials in use for as long as possible. This includes recycling, repairing, refurbishing, and reusing, helping to close the loop and reduce environmental impact at every stage.
Our Carbon Metrics Report offered powerful insight for our team when we exhibited at Event Sustainability Live (ESL). Designing a bespoke stand that not only embodied the Imageco brand but also showcased our sustainable capabilities was a project we truly loved.
Envisioned by Head of Design Becca Kelly, the stand brought together two distinct spaces. First, a striking 5m-long showcase wall, featuring layered Xanita and LED lighting. Second, an eco-bar area framed by wooden arches and foliage, designed to offer a warm, inviting space for conversations with prospective clients. However, the feature piece of the exhibition stand was of course, Sir David Attenborough, who covered a huge proportion of our stand (3m x 2.4m). The layered feature was painstakingly crafted by our both our Zünd operators and designer Becca. A true sustainability icon, Sir David perfectly represents our ethos and ongoing commitment to environmental responsibility.
Beyond its features, the entire structure was built using Xanita board, demonstrating both our commitment to sustainable materials and the limitless potential they offer for bold, creative stand design.
To assess the impact of our material choices, we generated two Carbon Metrics reports: one for our sustainable stand and another for an identical version built from traditional materials like MDF.
The results? A huge difference in emissions. Our Xanita board stand emitted just 24kg CO2e from materials, compared to 843kg CO2e for the MDF version. That’s a total saving of 819kg CO2e.
The data speaks for itself: sustainable materials need to become the new standard in the events sector. At Imageco, we’re proud to be leading the change.
Discuss your next sustainable exhibition stand with our team today.
