Think Before You Print

• Use sustainable vendors when possible; B Corp is a helpful place to start—these businesses meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose
• Avoid using glue or mixed materials like paper and plastic so that when the life cycle is over it does not become a recycling contaminate
• Start working with your printer at the beginning of the project to talk about paper selection—choose options that are at least FSC-certified or contain recycled content—and to determine sizes based on the paper reams in order to produce the least amount of trim waste possible
• Work with your printer to use organic or water-based adhesives and inks when possible; inquire about eco-conscious disposal of vapours/chemicals/scraps
• Consider the longevity of the piece you are designing; this can affect material selection, design and manufacturing processes, and graphic quality
• When designing signage, strive for modularity—it allows components to be more easily changed and broken down into their parts to simplify reuse and recycling
• Where possible specify screws instead of glues for assembly and mounting
• Create a salvage, recycling, reuse plan for materials—what will happen to your materials at the end of their life cycle
• Source materials, suppliers, fabricators and vendors locally to save on transportation waste

Events

• Project how much “swag” you will need for upcoming events based on past quantities and avoid over-ordering
• Encourage the use of reusable water bottles in messaging before the event and with signage at Hydration Stations at the event
• Spec recyclable materials such as Falconboard instead of foam core for large poster-sized prints and EcoSpun for banners, awnings and other fabric structures
• Consider eco-friendly building materials for your booth such as cork flooring
• Tailor sign dimensions to efficiently use standard material sheet sizes