"As PUBLIC continues to take important steps to make our events more sustainable, we are proud to be able to work with Event Cycle to support sustainable recycling of stash which could otherwise end up in a landfill. Big events like The GovTech Summit can all too often act as producers of unnecessary waste, and we want to do all that we can to make sure PUBLIC doesn’t contribute to this problem." Lucy Huckle, Summit Produce
Roll up banners and branded merchandise are the common denominator at large exhibitions and conferences. Whilst we as an event industry are slowly transitioning to more sustainable alternatives, there are still hundreds of products that have already been produced and have nowhere to go except for the bin. Initiatives like Event Cycle can help with the last of these leftover pieces and make sure they have a longer life with charities, community groups and social enterprises.
With their latest project, PUBLIC came to Event Cycle to help place 100 branded tote bags and 11 roll up banners which were held in storage after running a successful fifth edition of The GovTech Summit in November 2022. From these items, 6 different charities in and around London were able to benefit.
For the tote bags, the reuse process is simple, they can be reused again as bags so we sent them off to an organisation looking after young people and ex-offenders living in disadvantaged communities. As part of their service, Endure Mentoring runs a community closet making sure those on low incomes can access essential clothing and rather than put the clothes in plastic bags, they will now be distributed in the cotton, branded tote bags instead.
When it comes to roll up banners, Event Cycle operates a repurposing and recycling partnership with a number of graphics suppliers. The graphics are recycled and the bases are kept to be repurposed for the benefit of charities in need of promotional signage they can’t afford. The 11 banners were reskinned and went off to help the following organisations:
StandOut Programmes help men leaving prison to get set up in accommodation and employment
Feed'Em Music Group delivers music industry training to their local communities. They plan to build a community of up and coming artists and creatives.
Humanitarian Operations started as a first responder disaster relief charity and is now moving into their second mission providing an educational fun entertainment app for children that will teach the world for free using AR technology.
London Wildlife Trust works to conserve nature and help everyone in London to connect with the plants, animals and habitats in their local communities
Rehoboth Community Centre aims to alleviate food poverty, reduce social isolation and increase mental well-being amongst homeless individuals, the elderly and local families. They do this by providing cooked meals, social activities and food parcels 3 times per week. Currently over 380 people living locally access their soup kitchen/food bank.
A worthy way to reuse old banners don’t you think?