In an encouraging sign that will hopefully serve as an inspiration to their exhibitors, the Consumer Electronics Association has announced that they recycled an astonishing 75% of this year's CES show materials.
If you've ever been to CES--or any large tradeshow, for that matter--you don't have to look far to notice the enormous amount of potential waste that can be created: There are enormous foamcore signs and vinyl banners everywhere, every attendee is wearing a badge in a plastic holder, and the tradeshow floor is covered in miles of carpet.
For this year's event the CEA rolled out recycleable carpeting for all of the exhibit halls, switched the signage from foamcore to a 100%-recycleable cardboard-like material, and used banners from last year's event to make the attendee badges for this year's. In addition to that they've donated $25,000 to an organization that transformed other large show banners into sunshades for local community centers, and donated $50,000 to another organization that used the bread to make solar panels for the local Salvation Army.
After the show, come cleanup time the CEA gathered more materials to be recycled: Upwards of 35,700 square feet of magnetic banners, 28,600 square feet of vinyl banners, 16,000 square feet of other signage and 50,000 pounds of show publications.
"Every year, we work tirelessly to make the International CES even more environmentally sustainable than the year before," said Karen Chupka, CEA's Senior Vice President of Events and Conferences. "This year, we exceeded years past, increasing the overall reuse and recycle rate to 75 percent of all CES materials." In the following video, CEA execs and partner organizations explain the initiative and the results: