In the ever-evolving landscape of sustainable events and exhibitions, a growing debate within the South African industry has emerged: can the application of the Four R’s (4R’s) – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover (or Repurpose) – serve as a sufficient benchmark for defining a stand or event as “green”? While some argue that only stands or events built from cradle-to-grave certified materials meet true sustainability criteria, others insist that responsible use of existing materials through the 4R framework significantly advances sustainability goals, especially when viewed through the lens of practicality and impact.
Globally, there is a strong case for both options.
Initiatives such as the Better Stands Programme, pioneered by Informa and endorsed by global organisers like IMEX and Clarion Events, offer a tangible framework that demonstrates how implementing the 4R’s principles can drive sustainability in the exhibitions sector. The Better Stands initiative explicitly encourages the reuse of stand components, modularity in design, responsible recycling of materials, and minimisation of waste generation. Stands are ranked from “Disposable” to “Gold” based on their use of reusable and recyclable elements. This practical, scalable model aligns directly with the goals of the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative and supports the claim that stands don’t have to be made solely from certified sustainable materials to be environmentally responsible.
The implementation of the 4 R’s are widely recognised as a foundational strategy in advancing sustainability within the exhibition and events industry. The role of the 4R’s in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry are as follows:
- Reduce: Minimising resource consumption and waste generation is a primary goal. For instance, guidelines for sustainable exhibition participation emphasise the importance of reducing the volume and weight of waste generated during events, advocating for the design of stands that can be reused at multiple events, thus enhancing sustainability and cost efficiency.
- Reuse: Extending the life cycle of materials through reuse is crucial. The same guidelines recommend analysing stand components to determine their potential for reuse, such as wood, aluminium, and other materials, thereby reducing the need for new resources.
- Recycle: Proper waste management, including recycling, is essential. The guidelines stipulate that waste generated by exhibition stands should be separated into categories like paper/cardboard, containers, organic, glass, wood, textiles, or untreatable waste, with all recyclable materials sent to authorised facilities.
- Recover: Recovering energy or materials from waste that cannot be recycled is the final step in the hierarchy. This ensures that even non-recyclable waste contributes to resource efficiency.
Supporting research and industry guidance (e.g. IMEX Exhibitor Sustainability Guidelines) also reaffirms that adopting the 4R’s within the circular economy significantly reduces waste and carbon emissions. Reuse and modularity reduce demand for raw materials; recycling ensures that the life of a material doesn’t end in a landfill; and reducing consumption or repurposing components drives innovation without excessive environmental cost.
The South African context
In South Africa, where challenges like limited recycling infrastructure, water scarcity, and increasing regulatory pressure add complexity, the 4R’s provide an accessible, effective strategy for creating greener exhibitions. This is evident in the heightened regulatory pressure, such as South Africa’s National Climate Change Act (No. 13 of 2022) that came into effect in June 2024, which requires large organisations (including frequent event organisers) to produce annual greenhouse gas emissions reports. Failure to comply may lead to fines or restricted access to public venues.
Concurrently, municipalities like Cape Town have implemented tariffs that charge events an escalating waste disposal fee once they exceed 5 tonnes of general waste. This “polluter pays” model incentivises planners to keep waste below thresholds, rendering sustainable practices financially prudent. But, for as long as these challenges have been part of the country’s history, so have the many awareness campaigns to “reduce, reuse, recycle, and repurpose” wherever possible – from the ads on SABC 2, to Carte Blanche in the evenings, to every Sunday Times edition. Yet here we are, in 2025, still as far from our net-zero carbon emissions goal as when we started calling for society to become more responsible. According to available statistics from 2019, an estimated 122 million tons of waste are produced in South Africa, only 10% of which is recycled, leaving the other 90% to sit in landfills.
The average conference attendee generates approximately 1.89 kilograms of this waste per event day. Additionally, event-related energy consumption and transportation account for a substantial portion of greenhouse gas emissions. South Africa’s total greenhouse gas emissions were about 511 million metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2021 (8.5 tCO₂ per capita), ranking the country as the 16th-largest emitter worldwide.
“Our industry has been complicit in single-use, linear supply chains. The Four R’s offer an antidote to that mindset, encouraging us to reimagine each phase of event planning,” Arvanitakis points out, adding that, when implemented properly, the 4 R’s deliver both environmental and economic value, offering a feasible path to sustainability even when cradle-to-grave materials are not yet universally accessible.
A new stage for custom, sustainable stands
EGF Chairperson John Arvanitakis and Cara Nortman, CEO of SSQ Design highlight how the Four R’s are not only relevant, but already being effectively applied by leading local contractors to advance sustainability in custom exhibition stand design.
“The custom stand design space is widely scrutinised for its impact on the environment, but it’s what our designers are really good at, and clients love it. But with all of this pressure to embrace greener event practices, we had to find a way to make our business more sustainable. Those ‘Four R’s’ are really easy to refer to and consider when we’re taking briefs and designing,” explains CEO Cara Nortman.
Today, SSQ Design creates “aesthetically pleasing and practically usable stands while minimising the amount of new elements we’re building or designing with”, Nortman says. “Because we have stands made out of MDF and chipboard, we have to ensure they are modular and reusable.” Materials like medium-density fiberboard (MDF), chipboard, and plastics involve energy-intensive manufacturing processes and limited recyclability.
For clients in the hospitality sector, for example, they often enter three-year agreements, which means they will reuse the same stand and materials for as long as that contract is valid, designing one custom structural shell that is rebuilt two to three times per year. Over the contract’s life, the client benefits from a consistent visual presence without new materials for each show. While graphics or rental furniture can refresh between iterations, the primary structure elements remain unchanged.
At Africa’s Travel Indaba this year, SSQ had seven clients with stands. Of those, six were custom. Most of the clients’ stands had already been built twice or more, with Sun International and Minor Hotels on their sixth reiteration.
Rhulani’s stand is a Triga system, which is made out of fabric and aluminium.
“When we are designing, we will also try to design elements in such a way that they could be used or repurposed for other client stands down the line,” she adds. “Where we can’t reuse elements, we try to recycle or repurpose them for packaging or other clients.”
Minimise over utilise
Reducing consumption is the first and often most challenging pillar of sustainability because it requires rethinking “business as usual”, but still hitting the client brief. “If your wall and structure, as well as one or two unique items on the stand, are custom-built, the rest of the items on the stand can be rented,” Nortman says. “When a client desires a three-meter-high custom wall for brand visibility, we can suggest alternatives – like a 2.5-meter structure supplemented with a fabric banner – so that the core impact remains while cutting material usage”
Where clients want to use flowers and plants, SSQ encourages them to use potted or fake greenery that can be reused over and over again. Where they have to use real plants, they ensure they can control the post-show usage of them too.
In water-scarce regions like Cape Town or Gauteng, large floral arrangements are an excessive use of a finite resource. Arvanitakis describes a simple switch: “Instead of lavish floral centrepieces requiring daily watering, opt for succulents or edible décor. These choices use a lot less water, support local growers, and can double as giveaways for attendees.”
Multiple over single use
This way, SSQ also makes use of the reuse method, as rented elements get used by many clients in a supplier’s database, for various events. For example, instead of constructing entire walls from scratch, organisers can use rental trussing and fabric graphics, which can be reused at multiple events. “So we’re not reducing what we put onto the stand, we’re just reducing reliance on the manufacturing process and materials associated with it,” Nortman adds.
She notes that, where they have tried using sustainable alternative materials, like fabric, cardboard and aluminium, they did not have the same longevity. “They take a beating during transportation, storage and use, where the other items don’t. So we get a lot more use out of them.”
Discarding appropriately
Ensuring end-of-life materials are diverted away from landfills and into closed-loop recycling streams, where they can be reprocessed into new products, should be part of every event organiser’s responsibilities.
The easiest way to do this is with the three coloured bins system that has become popular for environmentally-conscious destinations and businesses. “But recycling goes beyond placing bins on site; it requires that event organisers identify materials suitable for collection, and partner with registered recyclers,” Arvanitakis says. “Without accountability, materials often get down-cycled or landfilled.”
He explains that in the exhibition context, for example, fabric banners can be recycled into backpacks and goodie bags that the client can use as giveaways or for brand awareness. “Textiles – especially printed banners – often end up in landfills if not managed properly. However, fabric can be mechanically shredded and reprocessed into fibre fill for insulation or industrial rags.”
Use over and over again
Where an item can’t be recycled or reused, it needs to be repurposed. SSQ Design donates any leftover furniture or structural elements to schools, shelters, and charities. “If we donate elements, we generally look after that process ourselves, with one of our team members transporting the items directly to the charity or shelter and helping to install them there as well,” Nortman shares.
“A couple of years ago, we did a big stand for Anglo American where they had a lot of herbs and other greenery on their stand, but we had specifically arranged that they would be replanted or donated at a school near the Cape Town Convention Centre,” Nortman shares.
Another example was where a client’s Mining Indaba stand was turned into a learning centre on a beneficiary’s premises after the event. “When we designed the stand, in collaboration with HKLM Branding, we had this end use in mind. We had a branded wall built from Lego bricks that we turned into a table for the centre. We used the same benches and storage in the centre, too,” she explains. Other walls were built with shelves internally, so they could be reused as bookshelves in the learning centre.
Some stand elements even end up at SSQ Design’s offices, either in storage for future use, or as furniture for staff.
Educating the events industry (and clients)
Ultimately, the decision comes down to the client. But Nortman and Arvanitakis – especially in his capacity as Chat’r Xperience CEO – have both witnessed the wonders of educating them on the benefits of sustainability.
“Our industry is not very old, but we are set in our ways. It’s going to take some big players to implement those processes and set those standards before it will become the norm,” Nortman says, explaining that MICE industry professionals aren’t innovating enough. “We’re not doing enough research or investigating what else is out there, we’re just going with what we know and what is currently available.”
Nortman adds that, although they don’t have all the answers at SSQ, and they know they are not getting everything right, they have to start somewhere.
Arvanitakis confirms that starting small is often the easiest way to sustainability. “You can’t retrofit sustainability after the fact. The choices made at each event reverberate far beyond a three-day trade show footprint, creating ripples of change that extend into future exhibitions, venues, and industries,” he says.
“When you receive a client brief, immediately identify where you can embed Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Repurpose in each phase – vendor selection, design, procurement, production, and transportation.”
So, can the Four R’s of responsible eventing and exhibitions truly advance sustainability goals?
The answer is a resounding yes. As the global and local perspectives both demonstrate, the 4R framework – when applied with intention and accountability – serves as a powerful, pragmatic pathway to sustainability. While cradle-to-grave certified materials remain essential, and the ultimate goal for the future of green design and innovation, stands constructed using the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle, and repurpose are equally vital.
These two approaches are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they complement one another. Together, they provide the flexibility and adaptability the events and exhibitions sector needs to meet both environmental goals and operational realities. Sustainability is not a one-size-fits-all formula, it’s a continuum. And every responsible choice along that path brings us one step closer to a net-zero carbon future.
As a leading advocate for sustainability in the Southern African events sector, the EGF provides resources, training, and a Green Database that lists accredited suppliers.