Waste and emissions: Unfortunately, the event industry causes that more than we love. How can you fix this? "By simply not organising an event! "But of course that is not the solution. Therefore step by step what you can do, via the 7 R-Ladder.
What is the 7 R-Ladder
The R ladder provides a comprehensive approach to waste management and sustainability beyond recycling. The concept focuses on various steps that organisations can take to minimise their impact on the environment. The R-Ladder consists of: rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle and recover. Check below the explanation and our tips per step.
1. Rethink
(Re) Consider the need for certain activations or products. We always ask ourselves: why do we do this? This allows you to achieve a specific goal in different ways or to highlight a theme. Then you often find that you don't need dozens of new printed cloths or disposable items at all!
Both our account managers and designers proactively advise our customers on sustainable alternatives. Think of reboard panels instead of forex or the artwork in such a way that in the coming years it will also be usable at other events.
2. Refuse
Refuse things that are unnecessary or harmful to the environment. This can be in the export of an event plastic bags or disposable items, but also whole events or parts thereof! Thus we will not take orders from organisations we do not support and we will not buy anything of inferior quality from distant countries.
3. Reduction
Reduce the use of raw materials and energy by consuming less and handling what you have more efficiently. A lot of our emissions are in transport. Unfortunately, electric cars with sufficient range and charging points are not yet fully available. That is why we look critically at other possibilities:
Efficient loading of wagons
Stackable materials in perfectly fitting carts or boxes, which are loaded as conveniently as possible: All team members, equipment and methods are aligned.
Car park and fellow motor vehicles
By also having smaller cars, we emit less CO2 on small orders. In addition, we can often use fewer cars by using trailers. This is where the staff is trained! So they can also bring some extra which should go to a location nearby. Handy, those combi rides!
Multi-day planning
Does a build-up take several days? Then we often keep the last car behind Boozed as long as possible. At large events there are often unforeseen situations that require extra or other material. By keeping a car in front of it, we prevent extra rides!
4. Reuse
Re-use products instead of removing them; Our core business! Of course, we do this. rentals, but also by applying repairs, upcycling and other creative solutions. A few nice tips:
- Buy when this can store second-hand items. So we have all our sleds (think: decoration for winter events) away from the cycle. There they had a nice antique look and were also much cheaper. Win-win!
- Painted item and paint over? Make a sample, write down how much paint you have left and keep it in a sample cabinet. You often do not need to buy new paint for another project!
- Let artwork or other branding make materials so that you can use them more often. So don't put a year on it or a text that is not relevant anymore. Go for a universal image that lasts a long time.
5. Repair
Try to repair broken products instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. This prolongs the lifespan of products and reduces waste. For us this has two sides:
- On the one hand, we naturally try to prevent items from breaking. We do this by using sturdy materials in custom projects and buying robust items that are . In addition, we always transport our materials in sturdy carts or transport boxes.
- On the other hand, we have the skills and parts to repair items. We buy almost only furniture from which we can order spare parts and in our workshop a lot of time and love is put into the maintenance of bars, cabinets and counters.
6. Recycle
What about garbage after an event? Process it as raw material to make new products. Recycling helps to reduce the demand for new raw materials and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. 3 fun examples of material we recycle:
- Carpet is used to cover transport boxes.
- Wood what is left goes to a furniture with social workshop.
- Docks go to creative entrepreneurs who make bags of this.
7. Recover
When you finally can't do anything with a material, you can use it to recover energy through combustion. In a circular economy, materials get as little as possible in this step. At Boozed we currently have an extensive waste disposal island in our return department, where we separate as best we can for recycling, so that even more can happen to the materials. Besides that, we also recover energy with our own heat pump!
Making impact together
With the 7 R-Ladder we show that sustainability in the event industry is really possible, as long as you make choices conscious and use materials smartly. We are contributing step by step to a circular economy and a greener future. Want to know more about our sustainable mission and certifications? Then look at our B Corp page and join us in the movement for positive impact!
