The quick answer is yes. The longer answer is the awards industry has a long way to go in becoming more environmentally friendly.
The good news is we have come a long way. The bad news, as the following anecdote illustrates, we had a long we to go.
When I first got into the awards business in 2002, I’m pretty sure no one had ever heard of the concept of sustainability. When we ordered products from vendors, they were often packed in Styrofoam and additionally protected with packing peanuts. It was nearly impossible to keep the peanuts from flying around the warehouse. Additionally, there was no good way to get rid of them. In a desperate attempt to recycle the peanuts, we would pack them in garbage bags and a women came by weekly to pick them up and occasionally drop us off doughnuts. Clearly not a very “sustainable” model.
The are two areas of environmental impact that I would like to touch upon: the reduction of waste and the use of renewable materials in creating trophies, plaques and awards.
We have had some success in reducing waste. Through the years, we have worked with vendors to reduce the material used in packing the component trophy parts and eventually were able to greatly reduce Styrofoam and have been able to ban packing peanuts from the building. Recognizing the balance between reducing waste and preventing damage in transit, we have greatly reduced our dependence upon bubble wrap and excess packing material. We reuse boxes when we can, but we still have a long way to go.
As far as sustainable materials go, we have largely failed as an industry. Bamboo plaques, cutting boards and bases exist, but that is about it. Most awards continue to be made of plastic, marble, wood and metal. We can and will do better. Stay tuned.
Leave a Reply