Environmental Impact of Point of Sale Display Stands
Point of Sale (POS) display stands play a significant role in the retail industry, influencing consumers' purchasing decisions and promoting products. However, these displays can have a considerable impact on the environment, primarily due to the production and disposal of temporary use display materials. Here's an overview of their environmental impact and the importance of seeking more sustainable alternatives:
   

Resource Consumption:

 The manufacturing of POS display stands often involves the use of various resources, including raw materials (wood, plastic, metal), energy, and water. This contributes to resource depletion and increases the carbon footprint.

Waste Generation:

Many POS displays are designed for temporary use and are discarded once their promotional period ends. This leads to significant waste generation, including materials like cardboard, plastics, and inks used for printing.

Transportation and Logistics:

The transportation of POS materials to retail locations can result in emissions from vehicles, contributing to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Chemical Usage:

Inks, adhesives, and coatings used in printing and assembling POS displays can contain harmful chemicals that may have adverse effects on the environment and human health.

Amount of Waste Produced:
POS displays are typically used for short-term promotional campaigns, which means they have a relatively short lifespan. After their use, many of these displays end up in landfills or are incinerated, contributing to the global waste problem. The amount of waste produced can vary widely depending on factors such as the size of the campaign and the materials used.

Importance of Seeking Sustainable Alternatives:
Reducing Waste:

Given the environmental impact of traditional POS displays, it is crucial to explore sustainable alternatives. This includes designing displays that are durable, reusable, or made from recyclable materials. Reducing the amount of single-use waste can significantly benefit the environment.

Lowering Carbon Footprint:

Sustainable POS displays can also help reduce the carbon footprint associated with their production and disposal. Using eco-friendly materials and practices can lead to lower emissions and less resource consumption.

 Reduce Over-Packaging:

The packaging of products within POS displays can also contribute to excessive waste, as they often involve additional packaging materials. 

Reduce Single-Use Materials:

Most POS displays are designed for short-term use, often only for a few weeks or months. Once their promotional campaign ends, these materials are typically discarded, leading to significant waste generation.

Avoid Non-Recyclable Components:

Many POS displays are constructed with materials that are difficult to recycle or require special facilities to do so, such as laminated cardboard or mixed-material displays.

Enhancing Brand Image:

Companies that adopt sustainable practices, including eco-friendly POS displays, can enhance their brand image and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. It can be a marketing advantage and demonstrate a commitment to corporate social responsibility.

Regulatory Compliance:

As environmental regulations become stricter, businesses may face legal requirements to reduce waste and adopt sustainable practices. Transitioning to sustainable POS displays can help ensure compliance with future regulations.

Innovation and Creativity:

Seeking sustainable alternatives can also encourage innovation in the design and production of POS displays. Companies can explore new materials, technologies, and design concepts that align with environmental goals.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF POS DISPLAYS

To mitigate the negative environmental impact of POS display stands and reduce waste, businesses can consider several sustainable alternatives:

Reusable Displays:

Invest in displays that can be reused for multiple campaigns or in-store promotions.
 

Recyclable Materials:

Choose materials that are easily recyclable, like cardboard or paper, and ensure they are disposed of properly with clear recycling instructions printed on displays informing to sperate non similar materials like plastic clips from cardboard displays and recycling respectively.

Digital Displays:

Consider digital signage and interactive displays, which reduce the need for physical materials and can be updated easily for different campaigns.

Intelligent Design:

Be intelligent when designing and look at ways to reduce material usage and waste, reduce packaging materials, design with a circular lifecycle in mind, look at secondary use for components .

Biodegradable and Recycled Content Materials:

Explore options like biodegradable plastics or inks to minimize the environmental impact of POS displays and print on recycled paper or plastic material versus virgin material where possible.

 

Minimise Transport Needs:

Consider local production to minimise overall transport and look at sending out multiple campaigns in consolidated single shipments.

Semcom together with the clients we partner with realise that Point of Sale display stands have a notable environmental impact due to their short lifespan and resource-intensive production. To mitigate this impact, it is crucial for us to work together to seek more sustainable alternatives, such as reusable displays, recyclable materials, and eco-friendly production processes. By doing so, we can reduce waste, lower their carbon footprint, and contribute to a more sustainable retail industry.

 

Take a look at our Go-Eco sustainable POS range and try out or POS ECO Impact Calculator