Is it Time to Revolutionize the Way we look at Conference Swag?

Naciely Hernandez, MPH and Evelyn Alvarez PhD

California State University, Los Angeles

Image: An example of customizable seed-based paper business/event cards as a sustainable conference or departmental giveaway.  Looking forward to the blog link for review!

As academics, attending conferences and departmental events that offer promotional swag is part and parcel of the work experience.  Even if we don’t seek it, it somehow insidiously makes its way into our hands via tote bags, conference expos, and departmental events for student recruitment and engagement. How many of us have shamefully opened up our office or home desk drawer during Spring cleaning to unearth unused conference or other event swag that was never used?  What if there was a way to still engage students and conference attendees in a more climate friendly way?  We believe there is but this is highly dependent on behavioral and policy change as well as adjustments to convenience. 

The truth is that climate change is happening, and it’s happening at a rate that should be alarming to all of us. Most of our cheap consumer goods, including those used for conferences and academic engagement events, are made overseas, in countries with loose environmental regulations and potentially by the hands of children, working in extremely deleterious conditions. Not only is there an environmental footprint to swag items made overseas (and anywhere else for that matter), but there are ethical work labor considerations to contend with as well. Therefore, conference and promotional swag presents both environmental health and environmental justice issues that, in our opinion, cannot be justified by their intended goal: to advertise a desired program, company, or service.  A unique opportunity presents itself here. What if we all were more conscientious about the swag we use in our various work settings?  We would be sending a strong message to the markets at play that cheap, carbon-intensive swag made in questionable conditions overseas is not something in demand for our work environments. So, how do we decline this swag and instead promote more environmentally friendly options to advertise our respective goals?

There is a strong message any department, program, institution, or business can send when they opt for environmentally friendly promotional items.  Here are some potential considerations for revolutionizing that way we look at “swag”:

1. We have to stop using the word, “swag.” There’s no swagger in engaging in the consumption of disposable (unused) swag that is associated with greenhouse gas emissions. 

2. Think about alternative options for promotional items that are small, yet effective at showcasing your brand, slogan, and/or purpose.

3. Fight that urge to give out “physical items” and instead, opt for offering experiences, e.g., paying for a speaker to give a talk, offering healthy food and drinks in a sustainable fashion, or giving a donation to a non-profit organization if possible in lieu of promotional items.  For this option, you can create small stickers that can be placed on business cards or other paper items that are handed out to alert your participants that you’ve taken actions to eliminate swag and be more sustainable. 

4. Or just get rid of all paper all together!  QR codes are making it more convenient for students, faculty, and staff to exchange contact information and share other resources without the need for paper. Although each time we use our electronics, an environmental footprint is made, this is negligeable when compared to paper usage.  Most students, faculty, staff, and conference attendees carry smartphones.  For those who do not, having a back-up repository of paper items could help promote equity in this respect.  

As far as research and other information available thus far online, there seems to be a dearth of it when it comes to sustainability and swag.  Williams College, published a piece in 2023 about swag, its environmental impacts, and how we can reimagine this to become more sustainable.  Another article proposes four different ways to look at conference swag.  A third article examines the lack of utility that conference swag presents in light of conferences being back to face-to-face after the pandemic shutdown. We will examine some of the insights uncovered in these articles.

An article from Williams College reflects on collected data on sustainability and swag. It was evident that many students and staff viewed sustainability as a priority given that 41% of students reported it as very important¹. This shows that almost half of the student body was conscientious of their responsibility to make more eco-friendly choices to promote environmental health in the long run. Yet, 23% of students stated that they attended events for swag¹. We’re not sure why there is a lack of synchrony there with beliefs and practices, but we know that we can improve on this. Swag, although enticing because it is free, poses a challenge because it adds to unnecessary consumption, is not practical, is associated with emissions, and will inevitably lead to more environmental waste. So, where does this leave us? It pushes us to ponder the difficult question of what can be done to improve our sustainability efforts in college and academic departments and conferences all while strengthening engagement levels at events. 

Changes need to be made as students and staff are unconsciously collecting swag at these events, and much of this swag will end up either unused or in landfills. Even if students are aware and proactive regarding their sustainability efforts, at the end of an event, they may find themselves with a piece of swag that they may have felt pressured to take. Colleges can improve on this issue by adopting more sustainable alternatives like stainless steel or glass straws, using seed paper for business cards/flyers, and bamboo reusable utensils in times when relying solely on QR codes may not be feasible. These alternatives are more practical as they will replace wasteful products like plastic straws/utensils and paper waste from business cards at conferences. We will now discuss these alternatives in more detail.

At conferences, a lot of information is conveyed and distributed not only in the form of flyers but also through business cards. Although the main aim is to network and share information to leave a lasting impression, traditional flyers, and business cards will undoubtedly end up in the recycling bin and/or trash. A much more sustainable alternative that will not only make a memorable but environmental impact is seed paper cards and flyers.  Business cards made from seed paper are specially crafted to include seeds within paper fibers ⁴. Business cards and flyers can be made of recycled materials, biodegradable, and when planted, will grow into plants. This sustainable effort will help reduce waste and emissions, and can also help beautify someone’s home, campus, or community⁴.

Another probable alternative to reduce plastic waste such as straws is to adopt stainless steel or glass straws as they are more durable and can be washed and reused. 

These stainless steel/glass straws can be coupled with pipe cleaners, cotton pouches for storage (to carry around bookbags, purses, etc.), and a seed paper flyer thanking students and/or conference attendees for practicing sustainability and helping the environment. This sustainability alternative is essential as approximately 500 million plastic straws are discarded daily creating a threat not only to the ever-growing landfills but to the safety of marine life. Therefore, stainless steel/glass straws provided on campus and at events will help address this issue as students and attendees are informed of the eco-friendly efforts being implemented with this change. 

Much like the stainless-steel straw alternative, getting rid of plastic use and opting for a reusable bamboo utensils kit (fork, knife spoon) is essential. Dining halls on campus have plastic utensils for those on the go. Several plastic utensils are tossed creating waste for landfills. However, implementing and encouraging bamboo utensil kits are sustainable as they are biodegradable, durable, and have antimicrobial properties⁶. This way, students in a hurry can always have their utensil kit in their bags, ready to tackle any spontaneous breakfast, lunch, or dinner adventure. The bamboo utensil kit can also be an attractive giveaway at conferences. 

To conclude, while these are not the only sustainable alternative efforts out there, these are three helpful, tangible, and relatively low-cost eco-friendly alternatives among many others out there. Swag may always try to find a way to slip into our bags, even as we journey into sustainability efforts. What better stuff to get than the stuff that will help us live more sustainable lives in the long-term. Or better yet, if possible, let’s resist the urge to offer, pick-up, and demand more physical swag and instead move more towards a QR code, a more environmentally friendly path.  From making more conscientious efforts to refrain from using or promoting non-sustainable swag to opting for a more sustainable option through QR codes, all small efforts are vital as they all aim to protect environmental health and fight the behemoth that is climate change.

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1. Salamanca, L. (2023, April 19). Keeping your swagger but losing the swag. Sustainability. https://sustainability.williams.edu/news-events/keeping-your-swagger-but-losing-the-swag/  

2. Shelly, J. (n.d.). Nobody likes your conference swag. why not try these 4 things instead? | convene. https://convene.com/catalyst/meeting-event-planning/bad-conference-swag/ 

3. Segran, E. (n.d.). Can we finally kill off cheap, disposable conference swag? https://www.fastcompany.com/90783717/can-we-finally-kill-off-cheap-disposable-conference-swag 

4. Harrison, E. (2022). Business Cards Seed Paper: An Eco-Friendly Alternative for Sustainable Networking. Businesscards. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://businesscards.co/blog/business-cards-seed-paper/ 

5. Plastic straws ban in the US and Europe: 3 things you need to know. (2024, January). Renouvo. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://renouvo.net/carbon-emission/plastic-straws-ban-in-the-us-and-europe/

6. Content, S. (2024, March 19). Are bamboo utensils worth it? What the science says - 303 Magazine. 303 Magazine. https://303magazine.com/2024/03/are-bamboo-utensils-worth-it-what-the-science-says/