It’s tempting to let creativity run wild with 3D features and lavish finishes. We stop and ask: does this help tell your story? If not, it doesn’t get built. Deciding what matters at the start is the single biggest way to keep waste out of landfill.
IMPACT, BY DESIGN
Great stands shouldn't cost the earth. We build ours to come back.
Most exhibition builds are designed for one show and one skip - ours aren't. From the first sketch to the last panel back in stock, we plan for what happens after the doors close. Less waste, more reuse, real accountability for every component.
We work through five steps on every project. The earlier we act, the less waste there is to deal with later.
1. Prevent
2. Reduce
Design is the tip of the spear. The size and shape of what we draw decides how much material we use. So we design around standard sheet materials, which we can value-engineer with very little offcut. Better for the planet, and better for your budget.
3. Re-use
Exhibitions are built, broken down and built again, show after show. That’s a lot of potential waste. If a wall can be made from reusable stock panels, there’s no excuse to do otherwise. The same goes for counters, light boxes and bars: specified to last, looked after properly, and simply rebranded for the next show.
4. Recycle
We only specify materials that recycle easily after use. We also design how things are put together, so they come apart cleanly into parts that can be recycled.
5. Dispose, responsibly
We won’t pretend waste can be zero. But what’s left is small, and it’s handled properly. Anything that can’t be recycled goes, where available, to energy-from-waste facilities that turn it into heat or electricity.
Traditional stock panels: what they’re made of
Our panels are the backbone of our builds: simple, strong and made to be used again and again.
- Construction: 3mm ply facing over an internal 2″ x 1″ timber frame
- Heights: 2440mm, 2740mm, 3000mm and 3900mm
- Widths: 1000mm, 950mm, 500mm and 450mm
- Material: natural timber, FSC certified
Because they work as a system, panels combine to create almost any shape or architectural structure. And they can be finished in lots of ways:
- Wrapped individually in a recyclable material
- Painted
- Joined together into large surfaces and banner wrapped
What happens after the show?
Every panel goes back into stock, ready for the next build. Here’s how, depending on the finish:
Wrapped in recyclable material:
Wrap is stripped and recycled. Panel stored in stock.
Banner wrapped: Banner is removed and recycled, or made into bags. Panel stored in stock.
Painted finish: Panel is sanded and repainted when next needed, stored in stock.
It doesn’t stop at panels. We know what happens to every component we use. Our floorcovering, for example, is collected and mulched into pellets for new uses.
Why build this way?
- Stand out, not blend in. Show floors are filling up with the same aluminium system stands. A traditional panel build gives you a real point of difference.
- Circular by design. Panels are reused show after show. That’s our commitment to a circular economy, in practice, not just on paper.
- Carbon stays locked in. Timber stores carbon. Keeping panels in use and in stock keeps that carbon out of the atmosphere.
- Natural and responsibly sourced. Every panel is timber from FSC-certified, sustainably managed sources.
Our commitment
Sustainability at Flow isn’t a policy on a shelf. It runs from the first design conversation to the moment materials return to the manufacturer. We pass the same standards on to every service partner we work with, so we can tell you exactly what happens to each component.
Want to know more about a material or process? Just ask. We’ll give you the detail.
Built to come back. Real impact, by design.
Ready to transform
your next events space?
If stress-free builds are your thing, we should talk. With one single point of contact throughout, we bring creative thinking, straight-talking communication and total accountability to the table.
Thank you for all your work on the event last week. The stage went above and beyond what we were hoping for and the feedback has been phenomenal from guests, speakers and colleagues at Kensington Palace.
Natasha Tayler
Events Manager
Royal Foundation
They always keep it fresh, they are always on top of the latest trends in our industry and they know where to find the best ideas. Decorex is a very high end show, and Flow work very closely with the interior designers. They know how to work with them and adapt – they bring their knowledge of physical build as well. They deliver something absolutely high end and within budget.
Julie Pollet
Senior Operations Manager
Informa
When I give Flow a brief, they just nail it first time. I don’t have to spend time going backwards and forwards on things, I can just trust them to deliver it. What more can I ask for, when I have so many other things to organise!
Jessamy Ganesh
Senior Operations Manager
RX Global
