After buying Eastern Exhibition & Display in 2021, a key priority for Owner and MD, Shevy Kapoor was to improve the organisation’s sustainability credentials and, of course, grow the business further.

New equipment to increase efficiency was the first step and this required securing finance. With Scottish Enterprise, the national economic development agency, targeting its funding support at companies that were committed to adopting fair work and Net Zero practices, Shevy sought help from Green Circle solutions to help develop its environmental strategy and plan.

“Before I could get finance for a new machine, I needed a Net Zero plan,” Shevy explained. “Scottish Enterprise did have their own panel of consultants to help companies with sustainability. However, I knew of GCS and its great reputation, so I pushed for GCS as they really had the experience in the events sector. GCS was able to interrogate our suppliers, and the report they produced was useful for Scottish Enterprise and ourselves on how we can get to Net Zero,” he added. “Scottish Enterprise said that the report contained the most detailed analysis of Scope 3 emissions they had ever seen.”

GCS set about understanding the carbon footprint of Eastern Exhibition & Display, creating a baseline report with clear recommendations on how to reduce emissions and waste. In discussion with Shevy and the leadership team, key milestones were agreed on how to improve, what to focus on and by when.

“There were some big learnings for us from the first carbon report,” Shevy explained. “The key area of focus was materials as we were using a lot of plastic and foam PVC.”

The company set about sourcing more sustainable materials and selected Xanita - a natural fibre-based board. Manufactured from recycled waste, this provides a fully repulpable alternative to MDF, which is also free of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC).

The adoption of the new material has enabled the company to reduce its waste, and subsequently its waste bill which is now a quarter of what it used to be.

Other improvements across the business include introducing a fleet of hybrid vans, installing electric vehicle charging points at the office and encouraging employees to use public transport or cycle to work. “We have seen a strong adoption amongst employees and a cultural change. The team now thinks twice before putting anything in the bin.”

Shevy has also introduced weekly meetings with sustainability as a standard agenda item.

“The team understands that we need to do this and the role they need to play. The reduction in the waste cost was a good example of what a difference they can make both to the business and the planet,” he added.

GCS helped Eastern Exhibition & Display develop and implement its first sustainability policy – with objectives and milestones to support its Net Zero commitment. The collaboration continues with GCS calculating the company’s annual carbon footprint with its suite of carbon reporting tools and creating a report to help the team understand how they are progressing against goals and milestones.

So, what is next at Eastern. “Well, we need to continue to collaborate closely with our supply chain and continue to educate our customers,” he explained. “And, we still have an opportunity to make further improvements to our premises.”

“Embracing sustainability has given us a competitive edge. However, there is much green washing and companies are getting wise, so we must keep learning and remain authentic,” he said.

To that end, the company is seeking ISO9001 [Quality Management System Standard] accreditation by the end of Q1 2025.

“As most companies now have Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) requirements, as do governments, they are increasing their spend with suppliers who can help them meet their targets and in turn we are increasing spend with our suppliers who have more sustainable solutions, it’s a win, win,” concluded Shevy.