Dumpster diving?

Sometimes “sustainable” simply means “worth saving.”

If you happen to be walking out of a convention center after a major trade show and discover Elizabeth Fretheim dumpster diving, don’t be surprised. To be fair, she calls it research. Elizabeth leads the Freeman Sustainability and Strategy team and she says you can learn a lot about what people value by conducting an informal audit (hands on!) of what they discard. Her point is simple—if brands want to make a good impression at events, don’t pass out brochures or giveaways that are going to end up in a landfill. If you insist on handing out freebies, either keep the content digital or make it worth keeping. 

This was born out by Freeman’s more traditional research around exhibitor and attendee behavior. If the lifespan of your printed product guide equals the length of time it takes to walk from your booth to a recycling bin, you are not doing yourself (or the planet) any favors. Especially with what we call the Next Generation Event Goers (NGEG).

Ironically, this group of young professionals — for whom sustainability is table stakes — values high-end print pieces even more than the average eventgoer. Think of it as the same value equation that drives some people to purchase vinyl records when access to digital music is more affordable and more convenient. They are interested in obtaining things with a certain aesthetic heft.

Specific to print pieces, they are attracted to gorgeous original photography, high-quality paper, tasteful binding, and a sense of design and craftsmanship that promises a complete sensory experience. A bit old-school, perhaps, but using recycled, recyclable, or biodegradable materials will add to the premium look and feel. Of course the content matters. It needs to have lasting relevance (as a keepsake or as a reference resource), so people are glad to take it back to the office. Personally, any kind of swag I keep has to earn its weight in my already full carry-on bag.

In fact, now that I think about it, the swag metaphor works for most things in life: gifts, ideas, blogs, products, and services. If whatever we’re offering doesn’t add lasting value for our intended audience, it’s headed to a metaphorical landfill.

We all have to earn the space we take up. Maybe it’s time to audit the universal dumpster?

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