Pranil Chandra February 5, 2025
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Creating standout retail displays often means focusing on aesthetics and impact. However, with consumers increasingly committed to sustainability, eco-friendly displays are essential for maximising engagement and building long-term customer loyalty.
In this guide, we’ll explore the best sustainable materials for retail displays – innovative options that are not only visually impressive but also kinder to the planet. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to design displays that don’t just look incredible but are greener, smarter, and future proof.
So, you’re tasked with making your retail displays more eco-friendly. There are numerous factors to consider, like transport – how far does your display need to travel, and how much fuel is required? The venue also matters, as outdoor events typically consume less energy than indoor ones. Even the size and weight of your display can impact sustainability, with larger, heavier setups demanding more resources to transport and set up.
But at the heart of any truly sustainable retail display are the materials you use. Choosing the right eco-friendly materials is key to reducing environmental impact while still delivering an innovative, eye-catching display.
As the appetite for eco-friendly solutions grows, so does the choice of sustainable materials available to agencies and their teams creating winning retail displays – some more green than others! Let’s explore the current options for sustainable materials, one by one.
There is no denying how much we love this product! NEXT has been on board with Re-board® for some time now, mostly because of its credentials as a sustainable material – which align perfectly with our values to lead with green solutions whenever possible – but also for its versatility, durability, printability, and more!
Re-board® is structured using thick paper layered in a honeycomb effect, making it incredibly strong at its core. This makes it perfect for retail displays that need to bear the weight of products, props, or tech gadgets. Since it’s made from paper and water-based glue, Re-board® is 100% recyclable -a great choice for anyone working on environmentally friendly displays.
Yes. Re-board® is a highly sustainable material due to its paper-based composition and eco-friendly production process. Made from recycled fibres and fully recyclable, it minimises waste and reduces the need for new raw materials. Additionally, its lightweight nature lowers transportation emissions, while its durability ensures it can be reused multiple times, further reducing environmental impact.
Retail displays, exhibition stands, POS, event staging, art installations.
The latest from Swiss-based company, 3A Composites, Dispa® material is another excellent option to consider when creating sustainable retail displays.
Dispa® features a patented core that ensures exceptional flatness and stability, making it strong and rigid. It’s easy to cut, allowing for all types of creations, and is highly printable using UV digital and screen-printing methods. Best of all, it’s made from 100% cellulose fibre – a fully recyclable material – making it a perfect option for brands looking to reduce their environmental footprint and create visually impactful retail displays.
Yes. Made from 100% recyclable paper, Dispa is an eco-friendly choice for short-term signage and displays, with a focus on reducing environmental impact while still delivering high-quality visuals.
Indoor retail signage, retail displays, POS displays, sustainable window displays and exhibition graphics.
This product has been around for some time now and ticks the eco-strategy box for many brands – but what is it exactly?
Xanita Board is an engineered sustainable fibreboard made from fibres derived from recycled cardboard boxes – in other words, as green as they come! Its core is finished with kraft paper liners ready for printing, further underpinning the true sustainability of Xanita Board.
Yes. Made from recycled cardboard fibres, it’s both eco-friendly and fully recyclable. Its production process uses minimal water and energy, and the board’s lightweight nature reduces transportation emissions, making it a strong choice for environmentally conscious businesses.
Brand activations, pop-up stores, POS displays, retail displays, customised creative marketing and furniture.
Here’s a locally produced display material, Envirocore, made by Litecorp. It’s an eco-friendly, paper-based solution ideal for creating high-impact retail displays, installations, and signage.
Envirocore features high-strength paper honeycomb cardboard with a high-density core for firmer structural integrity and acoustic dampening. It is similar to Re-board® in that it also includes many sustainable core materials.
Mostly, yes. It’s made from recycled materials and designed with eco-friendly production processes in mind. However, it might require more complex recycling processes due to mixed materials in some versions. Still, it remains an option for environmentally responsible businesses creating sustainable display solutions.
Brand activations, pop-up stores, POS displays, customised creative marketing.
This is another eco-friendly option, manufactured in Europe and now popular in Australia.
Screenboard is a fully recyclable cardboard product, made from 100% recyclable materials. It’s almost like thick paper, providing an eco-friendly alternative to traditional posters. Its versatility makes it a popular choice for marketing displays; Screenboard can be printed in a range of sizes and cut into any shape to create eye-catching signage. Lightweight and easy to handle, it offers a practical, sustainable solution for temporary displays while delivering high-quality visuals that capture attention effectively.
Yes. Made from 100% recyclable materials, it provides an eco-friendly option for temporary signage, helping businesses reduce their environmental impact while still achieving effective marketing displays.
Event signage, posters, POS displays, custom shapes.
Self-Adhesive Vinyl (or SAV) is a versatile material widely used for various applications, from signage to wall graphics.
One of SAV’s key features is its easy application; the adhesive backing allows for quick installation without the need for additional glue or tools. Made traditionally from PVC, this material is also highly durable and resistant to water and UV rays, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. In terms of sustainability, some self-adhesive vinyl products are now made from eco-friendly, PVC-free materials that are fully recyclable, reducing their environmental impact. While technically recyclable, SAV isn’t the easiest material to recycle, so checking product specifics is essential.
Some manufacturers are now creating eco-friendly self-adhesive vinyl that incorporates recyclable materials and water-based adhesives to reduce overall environmental impact. Despite being free of harmful plasticisers, non-PVC SAV is still difficult to recycle due to adhesive layer contamination, multi-layer composition, and lack of established recycling infrastructure. That leaves both types of SAV – non-PVC and traditional – a long way from being sustainable.
Event signage, wall graphics, floor graphics, window displays, vehicle wraps, packaging.
To use its full name, polyethylene terephthalate fabric is a type of synthetic material made from the same polyester used in plastic bottles. It is widely known for its durability, strength, and resistance to wrinkling, shrinking, and stretching. PET fabric is commonly used in various applications, including apparel, upholstery, and outdoor gear, though many green-conscious marketers now use it for retail displays and exhibition stands.
rPET – that’s the type produced fully from post-consumer plastic waste like plastic bottles – can be sustainable. It certainly remains a better option than standard PET fabrics when you’re looking for sustainability. Unfortunately, finding and sourcing rPET remains a challenge, meaning most of the PET fabrics you see on the market are not sustainable. In the future, these types of fabric will become more widespread but right now, this isn’t the case.
Retail displays, exhibitions, clothing, home textiles.
This is highly controversial and not something you will want to hear, but the only genuinely sustainable materials are those which stem from trees. Even then, there are multiple considerations beyond the materials themselves when it comes to creating truly eco-friendly retail displays.
Factors like location (how far does your display need to travel?), venue (indoor or outdoor), certifications (does the vendor support a green strategy?), and the size and weight of your display all impact its overall sustainability. Larger, heavier designs increase fuel consumption and overall environmental impact. However, before anything else, start by choosing eco-friendly materials – if they’re not sustainable, you may as well pack up and go home.
As you explore eco-friendly materials for retail displays, it’s essential to look beyond marketing claims and examine the specifics of each material. Many products are labeled “sustainable” or “green,” but they may have hidden environmental impacts that aren’t immediately obvious. Always investigate the full lifecycle of a material, including production, recyclability, and end-of-life processes. Making informed decisions helps you select truly sustainable options, ensuring your displays contribute to a greener future.
NEXT Printing are leaders in creating sustainable print solutions for the retail industry, with two decades of experience in designing and developing eco-friendly displays. When your branding requires a green solution, talk to our team.
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