Rethinking Recycling
Rethinking Recycling
Ian Wright, Managing Director at SDI, suggests that perhaps it is time to alter throwaway views on point of sale.
For many years, cardboardbased Point of Sale has been the weapon of choice for brand managers looking for cheap, mass exposure during promotional activity or at key times of the year. Inexpensive to produce and easy to discard, cardboard freestanding display units have become a mainstay of the shopping experience over the last 30 years. With sustainability growing as a driving
force in retail at present, and a plethora of materials available these days, perhaps it’s time for the POS sector to be a bit more innovative as well as environmentally friendly when it comes to helping brands bring their products to life. Of course, many will argue that
cardboard is environmentally friendly. It is, when disposed of properly, recyclable. But it’s important to remember that there are alternatives. All too often in retail, we
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forget about the ‘three Rs of recycling’. Yes, everyone knows about recycling, and the ‘recovery’ process is also widely recognised. The one that many people fail to consider is reuse, the first step in the recycling process. Being able to use the item more than
once reduces waste and eradicates the need for recycling. In my opinion, the use of cardboard POS doesn’t facilitate this; instead it can encourage a throwaway culture amongst retail staff and brand owners. For example, a typical brand may run a
new promotion every six weeks, with guaranteed floor space in 10,000 retail outlets. At the end of this period, the freestanding display units are often scrapped and thrown away, ready to make space for the next set of cardboard units. If you consider how many units need to
be printed, manufactured and delivered to stores to support a changing promotions calendar such as this, then using cardboard in this way suddenly starts to negate the environmental benefits. When one considers how many brands are deploying POS of this nature into stores on a weekly basis, then it is important to consider all options. Of course, the environment isn’t the
only reason to consider all options for POS. Semipermanent display stands made from recycled metal can have a great aesthetic and also make life much easier for retailers. The stands can be designed with changeable side and header panels, meaning only one stand is needed at a location, as it can be easily updated to support changing promotions across the year. While the environmental benefits can be quickly seen – fewer units, less
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