Sustainable stands
Design for dismantling, separable materials, smaller freight volume and less waste in the hall. We do not claim what we cannot measure.
An exhibition stand is a temporary structure. It stands for a few days and then comes down. The argument starts with that sentence: the life of a stand is set at the drawing board, not in the last hour of the fair.
We make no measurable claim. We publish no carbon figure, no certificate name and no percentage, because writing a number we cannot verify would be a way of not taking the subject seriously. What we can describe are the decisions: choose materials that can be separated, shrink the freight volume, reduce the waste that leaves the hall.
The comparison of stand types is on the stand types page and the cost side on the cost calculation page.
01
Design for dismantling
The most effective decision is the dullest one: design the stand to come apart. In modular and maxima systems the aluminium profile and the panels are joined mechanically; at dismantling the materials separate without damage and are sorted by type. A surface that has been glued and filled goes into the skip.
Separability depends on a design decision. Keep panel dimensions standard and cutting waste falls; join with screws and clips and the part comes out unbroken. A glue-it-and-move-on decision taken at the drawing board comes back as waste at the dismantle.
Freight belongs in the same calculation. Flat-packed parts mean fewer vehicles; as the volume shrinks, both the freight cost and the handling on site fall.
02
Material, freight and waste
Timber, aluminium and printed surfaces can be recovered if they can be collected separately at the end. Bonded composite surfaces cannot be separated, which is why mechanical fixings are preferred to glue. Screwed joints also speed up the dismantle.
Carpet is the largest single-use item at most fairs. At many venues it is lifted and thrown away when the show closes. Solving the floor with a demountable platform instead of carpet lowers both the waste and the cost of the next fair.
Freight volume usually matters more than weight. Flat-packed parts mean fewer lorries. Waste and recycling rules differ hall by hall; sources such as UFI and Messe Frankfurt publish the rules in force.
- 01
Separate the structure
Keep the structure and the surface cladding as two layers. At dismantling the two come apart without damage and the materials are sorted by type.
- 02
Keep dimensions standard
Standard panel and profile sizes cut the cutting waste and the number of parts. Every bespoke dimension adds waste and production time.
- 03
Choose mechanical fixings
Screws and clips beat glue and filler. What comes apart can be separated, and what is separated can be recovered.
- 04
Shrink the freight volume
Flat-packed parts mean fewer lorries. Volume, more than weight, drives the freight price and the handling on site.
- 05
Keep graphics independent
Fix the printed surface independently of the structure. A change of visual before the fair means reprinting that panel only, not touching the rest of the stand.
- 06
Write the dismantle plan
How the stand comes apart and how the materials are sorted is settled at design stage. An unplanned dismantle is rushed, and rushed dismantles make waste.
- Does a sustainable stand cost more?
Not necessarily. Choosing materials that can be separated and joining with screws and clips is a design decision, not a separate line item. Every decision that shrinks the freight volume also lowers the budget.
- Do you publish a carbon figure or a certificate?
No. Writing a number without a verified measurement would mislead. What we can state is concrete: which materials can be separated, which joints open without damage, how many lorries leave the workshop.
Do you have your fair dates?
The fair name, dates, floor area and number of open sides are enough. We come back within two working days with a concept and a budget range.