Environmentally Friendly Trade Show Exhibits & Booths

Company Environmental Philosophy

Going green is more than just a trend; it's a commitment to a philosophy that is at the core of everything we do. It is a way of life, thinking, speaking and acting. It continually evolves and changes which mean that it must be evaluated often. As our knowledge of the environmental issues change, we make a commitment for continuous improvement.

Reaching and obtaining "Green" takes constant dedication. For more than 37 years, Nimlok has set the pace in the exhibit industry by producing sound and recyclable display and exhibit solutions in the United States and abroad.

In the UK our sister company Nimlok Limited is the first UK exhibition company to be certified to the international environmental standard ISO 14001 and it is our intention to utilize their experience.

Reusable Solutions

We take an active and serious role in helping our clients achieve their goal to "go green." From our founding in 1970, reusability has been the core value of all of Nimlok's trade show exhibit solutions. We have always believed passionately that there is a better way than the "build and trash" philosophy that has dominated the majority of traditional display and exhibit construction.

"The Nimlok Way" is based on modular, reconfigurable exhibits and solutions that are engineered, from the start, to be used again and again. A testament to the reusability of Nimlok products is the very large quantity of Nimlok equipment still in daily use after more than a quarter of a century. In addition, we also continue to see large number of clients who constantly reconfigure their Nimlok properties year after year to meet their growing needs.

Recyclable Content

We are also focused on ensuring we create trade show exhibits that maximize recycled content. Our new designs specifically include components that are produced using easily and commonly recycled materials including aluminium and cardboard. On average, 95% of the materials in our new designs, based on the total exhibit weight, can be recycled.

We also have initiated a trade show exhibit recycling program, designed to keep old exhibits out of landfill sites. At the end of an exhibit's life, our clients are invited to return it to Nimlok. We will then sort the components by content and direct them to the recycle stream, at no additional cost to our clients. It's simply a part of the total exhibiting solution that Nimlok provides.

Harmful Compounds

Nimlok is constantly looking for new processes that reduce the harmful elements traditionally used in the exhibit manufacturing process. For example, we were the first company in our industry to eliminate airborne solvent based adhesive particles with a hot melt process.

Our leading edge graphics production facility has eliminated the use of solvent based printing processes commonly used in this arena by investing in the latest aqueous based dye sublimation printing process methods.

We believe Nimlok is at the absolute forefront of companies in the event and exhibit industry in the use of environmentally friendly printing technology.

Waste Reduction

For the last 5 years, Nimlok has practiced waste reduction by recycling all manufacturing and packing cardboard and aluminium. By sorting cardboard, Nimlok has reduced its volume of waste destined for the landfill by over 15 tons.

Culture of Environmental Awareness and Best Practice

Nimlok is one the world's largest supplier of modular and reusable display and trade show exhibit equipment, yet remains a family business. Great people and our strong culture are foremost contributors to our success and we highly value the ethical and long-term perspective. This vision includes the desire to make environmental considerations central to the way we do business.

Our philosophy comes not only from company policy but from the principles of our employees. For example, our President, Simon Perutz, rides his bike over seven miles each way to work seven months of the year. We empower our staff to do the same by providing bike racks.

We recycle office paper, aluminium cans, and plastic bottles. In fact we have started to look at every aspect of our office and manufacturing use of materials to reduce our environmental footprint. For example, in June 2008, all plastic bottles will be eliminated from the company vending machines and in its place we will provide aluminium cans. Employees and visitors will be given free "Nimlok Blue" reusable bottles. It is yet another way in which we are focused on cutting the waste stream.

We are adopting paperless methods of communication both internally and to our customers and suppliers. This takes many forms and will lead to the development of our own interpretation of the paperless office.

We are dedicated to continuing and enlarging our recycling program as well as offering paperless alternatives to our employees. Please see our 2008-2009 environmental objectives.

Vendors and Service Providers

To be truly conscientious and committed, we must look beyond our own walls to our partners – vendors and service providers – to share the responsibility of operating in environmentally responsible ways. Good business partners are ready to accept that responsibility when it is extended to them – great partners take on the responsibility proactively. We have started to rate our vendors on their environmental policies and will use these ratings as part of the vendor selection.

We must continue to work together and we must expect a great deal of each other. Environmental responsibility doesn't end at our own front door.

2008-2009 Environmental Objectives

We have initiated a program that will match the commitments of our UK division who qualified for ISO 14001 in January 2008. We are striving to achieve this standard for our US division though these criteria are not as yet required by law. Upon delivery of this legislation, we will seek immediate approval.

• To comply with all environmental legislation. To be aware of all relevant environmental legislation and be fully compliant and exceed where possible.
• To be recognized in the events and trade show exhibit industry as being at the cutting edge of initiatives to become one of the most environmentally friendly company.
• To raise awareness of the environmental issues in the event and trade show exhibit industry, ensuring that our environmental vision is prominently displayed to customers and staff.
• To reduce our emission of solvents into the atmosphere by adopting new technologies and sound environmental planning. To comply or exceed with legal limits and seek to further reduce our emission by finding alternatives for solvent based adhesives.
• To reduce the usage of natural resources, specifically natural gas, electricity, and petroleum in our manufacturing operations and employees habits while at work. Our target is to reduce all natural gas, electricity and petroleum usage by 5%.
• To increase the use of rental components by design and maximize the reconfigurability of trade show exhibits, thereby reducing the use of raw materials.
• To investigate and incorporate the use of post consumer (after consumption by consumer) and industrial waste in product development of our future products.
• To greatly reduce the amount of waste going directly from us to landfills. To reduce the amount of waste ultimately going to landfill via third parties by another 50% to 25% of the levels in 2003.
• To carry out our activities in such a way that they will reduce pollution and damage to the environment as far as is possible.