The National Hardware Show: Greening Our Homes
The National Hardware Show is dedicated to reducing our environmental impact and building industry awareness for climate action, from the organizations we partner with and the materials we use (and don’t use), to the eco-friendly products we showcase.
For nearly 78 years, the National Hardware Show has been a meeting place for the US home improvement and DIY market, connecting peers, informing trends, driving sales, and replenishing supply chains.
The business of face-to-face events delivers huge social and economic benefits, but just like any other industry, it can take an environmental toll. The National Hardware Show remains committed in its endeavors to ensure a sustainable future for the Show, and the larger events industry. Here’s how.
Material Usage
NHS has made a concerted effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle the physical materials used during the event.
Paper Directories: NHS swapped out printed directories and show daily newspapers for an enhanced mobile experience. In previous years, NHS printed 25,000+ directories at approximately 100-pages each. Not only does the use of a digital directory help to eliminate more than 2.5 million pages of waste per year, but it delivers added value to guests by allowing them to easily search booth numbers and connect with exhibitors.
Lead Retrieval Technology: NHS is proud to partner with SWAP by Maritz, a lead retrieval application for smartphones. With SWAP, exhibitors can collect qualified leads in real-time, one hundred percent digitally. The technology reduces the need for business cards and brochures while providing more value for attendees and exhibitors, helping to ensure they never miss out on a lead.
Signage: The need for printed signage and directionals at large trade shows is important, but NHS has taken steps to reduce the impact. On average, NHS uses the same signs for three years, keeping them stored away and ready to be reused for the next show.
Carpet: Aisle carpet used at tradeshows is cleaned between uses and reused an average of four times before being recycled, if possible. Further, aisle carpet is 24-50% post-industrial recycled content.
Plastic Badge Holders: In 2023, NHS is eliminating nearly 30,000 plastic badge holders used in previous years. In addition, the badge stock is 100% recyclable, just like a polypropylene soda bottle or other plastic bottles that say PPE on the bottom. The badge stock contains paper pulp from sustainable forests with at least 10% pre-consumer recycled content, and the inks used to print flexographic are all environmentally safe and water based.
Las Vegas Travel Infrastructure
There are different ways to make your way around Vegas during NHS thanks to the city’s energy efficient transportation infrastructure, designed to reduce vehicle miles and emissions.
For instance, the Las Vegas Monorail is an easy and quick way to get to the Las Vegas Convention Center, with trains arriving every five minutes during large conventions and taking no more than 10 minutes from any part of the line. During citywide trade shows and conventions, the Monorail carries approximately 67,000 passengers - that's the equivalent of 22,334 taxi rides.
With the innovative underground transportation system, the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Loop, you can also hail an all-electric Tesla to get to your destination. The fun, quick, and energy efficient transportation solution moves convention attendees throughout the 200-acre LVCC campus and Resorts World, 40 feet beneath the ground.
Products That Make a Difference
Today’s new generation of DIYers want more sustainable products and materials. To meet this demand, NHS launched HABITAT, a curated showcase for the ideas and technologies evolving how we live at home. HABITAT aims to educate buyers on what to look for when purchasing eco-friendly products, while informing retailers about the opportunities of this rapidly growing market.
In 2023, HABITAT will display products that support buyers’ state-of-mind, mood, mental wellness and connection based on 5 key pillars. Themes include World of Wonder, showcasing items for everyday explorers and inspired by society’s new appreciation for the outdoors, and Save 2 Save, introducing products that safeguard our resources, from car chargers and solar panels to white roof paint and mirrored walls.
Continue reading about the 2023 HABITAT themes »
Continued Partnerships
Once the show has wrapped, shipping goods home is a costly endeavor for both exhibitors and our planet. NHS aims to reduce exhibitor waste and carbon emissions through its continued partnership with Opportunity Village, a Las Vegas not-for-profit serving people with intellectual disabilities.
Exhibitors are invited to donate home and garden display tools and equipment to Opportunity Village for sale in their thrift store, amounting to trailer loads of goods donated every year.
Part of a Larger Mission
RX, the parent company of the National Hardware Show, recognizes the urgent action needed to address the climate emergency. A proud founding member of the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge, RX commits to being net zero by 2040 and to make a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030, helping to put us on a faster trajectory than the rest of industry. Learn more here.