Low-waste booth

Resource avoidance & savings at events

Conserving resources and avoiding waste are important aspects at events and exhibition stands to promote sustainable practices. By using reusable materials and conscious planning from the start, waste can be reduced and the environmental impact reduced.

What you should know

The schedule

Events, be it a concert, a trade fair or a festival, often generate a significant amount of waste. Plastic cups, packaging, flyers and other disposable items quickly pile up in large quantities. The impact of this waste on the environment is enormous.

The production of disposable items contributes significantly to the waste of resources. Energy and resources are used in the production of plastic cups, packaging and other single-use products. Especially with exhibition stands, it is also the exhibition stand itself. This is often specially designed and built for major events or a wide variety of new elements are produced for this purpose.

It is of great importance to reduce waste at events. This not only relieves the environment, but also saves costs and creates a positive image for organizers and exhibitors.

At the fifteen seconds festival 2023 we have set ourselves exactly that goal. Avoid waste and resource conservation as far as possible. Together with Verena Kassar, zero waste expert and founder of the Gramm Academy, we defined this as an elementary goal right from the planning stage.

Here is a list of the measures and partners we have worked with:

Stand construction & design

  • We decided to borrow scaffolding. Extra material production was not necessary. The scaffolding was obviously well used but cleaning was not planned.

  • The stand was very large at 48m² and the ceiling height in the hall is also very high. So we had to fill a lot of space and the decision fell on grass boxes. On the one hand, this is currently the most sustainable option and on the other hand, the boxes were folded flat again after use and will be used at our next event Sustainability Inside reused.

  • The grass boxes were made by the graphic artist and draftsman Michaela Nutz designed by hand. Refillable acrylic paints in the colors of our corporate identity were used for this.

  • An analog trend radar was used on site to discuss trends in the areas of sustainability, digitization, energy and economy with visitors. That was the only element that was specially produced. For this we have chosen honeycomb cardboard/re-board. The trends were plotted using post-its. Thus, we can continue to use the empty trend radar. Only the post-its ended up as rubbish.

  • We were allowed to take the necessary furniture such as armchairs and tables from us great fun(association window seat) borrow. Heidenspass is both an upcycling workshop and a social work project. Old materials become design objects and young people get the chance to reintegrate there.

  • The stand was so big that we only saw on site how important a floor design is in this case. For a short time only a black flat felt PP was available. This is usually disposed of after events. But we continue to use it in an upcycling project. However, the project must first be defined.

  • The large palm trees on the stand, as well as the pallets and refrigerator used, were borrowed from various organizations.

  • All fastening material was chosen so that it can be reused. We worked with string, tacks and rubber bands.

Catering

  • Vegan wraps from famous, the cafe of life size. Plant-based was the motto at the 2023 festival and that also corresponds to our requirements for our own events.

  • Reusable cups from baking cup Graz for our coffee needs. Basically, coffee was served in disposable cups and we could do without it.

  • Reusable bottles for our network get-together on the first evening in the size 0,33l. As a result, glasses or mugs were not necessary. Those bottles that we could not return were professionally recycled.

Give-aways

  • We still had about 150 high-quality enamel cups left from an event that had to be canceled at short notice due to the first Corona lockdown. These were reused for the fifteen seconds festival and planted with herbs. On the one hand, these served as stand decoration and were also our only give away.

  • The herbs were from the association atropa sown for us in the south of Graz, grown and transferred to the cups. They are not only from a regional farm but also in organic quality.

  • So that everyone can remember who the cups are from, we made small inserts out of old wooden spatulas and seed paper. Can therefore be composted or prepared. The seed paper is handcrafted by seed paper produced.

  • A stamp set from the 70s was found during a house clearing. It includes a stamp pad, stamp frame in 3 different sizes and all letters and special characters made of rubber. We were able to label the stamp ourselves and print the plugs ourselves in a resource-saving manner.

social aspects

  • The vegan wraps from famous, the cafe of life size. At famoos, people with disabilities work together with highly qualified specialists.

  • When setting up the stand, we received great support from 3 members of the ATG working group from Lebensgross.

  • We have been in contact with the 'Inclusive Editing' working group since a joint workshop. This consists to a large extent of people on the autism spectrum and we were able to send them 5 tickets from our ticket contingent. The members' visit was very valuable, also in relation to the topic of 'inclusive events'. The feedback from the individual participants is very valuable for our own events.

Advantages
of innovation

  • Conservation of resources & reduction of waste at events

  • Cost reduction through fewer purchases

  • Permanent behavioral change of the employees

We'll keep you up to date

Project Status: "Completed"

Contact person: Christa Kloibhofer-Krampl

We shape the future

Support from Das Gramm & Verena Kassar

As an innovation hub for sustainability, the next-incubator has know-how and a large network in the field of sustainability. A partner from this network is Verena Kassar, founder of Das Gramm und The Gram Academy. She provided comprehensive advice and is always available to the team for questions.