Sustainable exhibition design with Enviroplan

Originally published in isla’s European Temperature Check 2025 on May 8, 2025

How Emota’s EnviroPlan cuts waste and cost, without compromise

The exhibition industry has a waste problem. We’ve all seen it – materials used once, then scrapped. Beautiful builds with short lifespans. Emissions piling up with every shipment, every install. For years, this has just been “how it’s done.” But Emota didn’t buy that. Instead, they created EnviroPlan, a practical, creative, and results driven approach that proves you can design smarter, waste less, and still deliver impact. Clients are noticing. And it can potentially save them money, too.

More than a pretty stand

EnviroPlan doesn’t stop at the booth. It’s a complete methodology that starts with sustainability and ends with better outcomes for everyone. 

Yes, it tackles materials – what they are, where they come from, and what happens to them next. But it also takes on the full system: energy use, rigging, furniture, crew logistics, transport, even how waste is handled on-site. The goal isn’t just to look good. It’s to reduce impact everywhere.

That means every project becomes a chance to reduce, reuse, and rethink: 

• Can we spec materials that are recyclable, at worst?
• Can we cut carbon by designing for efficient shipping?
• How can this booth configure over three shows, not just one?

It’s not just about sustainable design. It’s about designing sustainably, from the first concept through every touchpoint on the show floor.

Clients are choosing better, and benefitting

This isn’t just something Emota is doing for the sake of it. Clients are asking for it, choosing it, and realising it’s a smart business decision. EnviroPlan has not only saved clients over 70% in CO₂e emissions when compared to a traditional build but also achieved budget savings of over 30% in some instances.

Take the now widely-used cardboard structural system, developed with suppliers and used across a range of clients. It’s rigid, light, beautifully printable, and recyclable. One  pharmaceutical client used it to build a full booth that could be transported easily, installed quickly, and dismantled with almost no waste. It saved on build costs, install time, and even fuel. Another global client ran a multi-year programme using modular toolkits designed to be reconfigured, not rebuilt. Less material, less waste, less stress – and better value.

Reduced impact, but still remarkable

A common fear is that sustainable design means beige boxes and compromise. But the truth? Smart constraints often push creativity further. EnviroPlan leans into that. It treats raw materials – structural cardboard,recycled plastic, woodwool, even acoustic fibre – not as things to hide, but as part of the story. They show up in the aesthetic, becoming talking points, sparking curiosity and reflecting the values of the brand on show.

Our creative teams aren’t limited. They’re challenged – in the best way – to deliver a design that does more with less.

Looking beyond the build

One of the biggest shifts Emota’s making is treating sustainability as a systems challenge, not a design add-on. That’s where the real gains are. A stand is only one piece. So EnviroPlan zooms out. It looks at: 

• Lighting, AV, and rigging setups: Can they be streamlined to reduce draw? 
• Flooring and furniture: Are they reusable, modular, or sourced locally? 
• Logistics and crew: How far are people and materials travelling – and could that be reduced? 
• Supplier networks and environmental credentials: Are they aligned with the project’s values? 
• Waste streams and energy use onsite: Can they be measured, improved, reused? 

This is lifetime design thinking. Not just “how do we make a stand,” but “how do we make the entire experience more sustainable – before, during and after the show?” EnviroPlan is not a checklist, but a mindset. It’s one that clients are starting to expect and that audiences notice.

Award winning results

EnviroPlan is already delivering award-winning results. At the recent Conference News Agency Awards, Emota won Sustainability Pioneer for EnviroPlan, in a highly competitive category – demonstrating recognition within the industry of a shift to this holistic approach to sustainable design and project delivery. And now it’s expanding. Emota is applying the same thinking to live production, logistics, and broader event operations.

The model is simple, but powerful: strip out waste, design for reuse, use better materials, think long-term, and look everywhere for smarter decisions. This isn’t about being perfect – it’s about doing better and showing what’s possible in an industry that’s long overdue for change.

Sustainability doesn’t mean compromise. Done right, it means efficient creativity, and work that’s not only exciting, but worth being proud of.