A Useful Guide to Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Trophies

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A Useful Guide to Eco-Friendly Trophies

Reducing the environmental impact of the events industry is a complex topic.

Environmentally friendly merchandise, green waste management, sustainable catering – the opportunities to bolster the eco-friendly credentials of an event seem endless, and it’s difficult to know where to start.

What does it all mean, and how much of a difference does it really make?

At Gaudio, our sustainability goals aim to make an impact on your event, whether large or small. We’ve been developing eco-friendly awards for many years, exploring new materials and methods as they become available.

When it comes to creating sustainable custom trophies, the Gaudio team provide the expert support you’ve come to expect from us. Your Account Manager will guide you through every stage of design, order, and manufacture.

The ordering process is the same, and we work with brands and agencies to ensure there’s no compromise on design.

This brief guide will explain our materials, manufacturing, and packaging options for sustainable, eco-friendly, and recycled bespoke awards.

What is a sustainable alternative to trophies?

By employing cutting-edge technologies like 3D printing and laser cutting, we can craft sophisticated and significant trophies using recycled materials. This inventive method distinguishes our trophies from conventional awards.

What are eco-friendly trophies made from and what do they look like?

There are lots of sustainable materials we use every day at Gaudio that are responsibly sourced, recycled or sustainable. We do our best to reduce impact where we can, as well as source interesting and alternative options for contemporary custom awards.

So, what materials do we use, and why are they suitable for green awards? There are three main materials we utilise every day at Gaudio:

Aluminium

It’s approximated that almost 75% of the 1.5 billion tonnes of aluminium ever produced is still in use. Aluminium can be recycled more than once, and over 30 million tonnes is recycled globally every year. (Source: International Aluminium Institute)

Aluminium offers a premium finish for silver trophies, with a polished or brushed surface and lots of personalisation options.

Wood

We endeavour to source wooden components from responsible suppliers. Our suppliers consider renewability and make conscious efforts to reduce raw material waste and conserve energy. Custom wooden trophies have a premium finish, with organic grain and textures offering an natural look.

Recycled Acrylic

Acrylic is something we use regularly – it provides bespoke awards with bold colours, and can be laser cut with precision for complex shapes. Utilising recycled acrylic means we can offer a large selection of colours and the same bespoke manufacture with a lessened impact.

To see examples of eco-friendly and sustainable awards, view our full gallery

Sustainable Awards Gallery

How do we make Sustainable Trophies at Gaudio? Production & Waste Management

It’s not just about material, it’s also about making small steps to reduce the overall impact of the manufacture of the award. From design to delivery, everyone at Gaudio is playing their part.

Zero-to-Landfill

Gaudio is a zero-to-landfill manufacturer, and any waste or offcuts from manufacturing are sorted for recycling.

Carbon Offsetting

A carbon offsetting programme is a simple way to make a direct contribution through the purchase of your awards. Our Account Managers offer carbon offsetting options to all orders, large or small.

Recycling Options

Custom trophies are built to last, but if you did want to say goodbye to a trophy in place of a new exciting design, sending it back to us means we can appropriately dismantle it to reuse and recycle old parts where possible.

Good Practice

The Gaudio office operates with energy saving practices, including movement sensors, paperless billing, and device timers.

Recyclable Packaging

When talking eco-friendly trophies, you can’t ignore packaging.

Specialised packaging plays a vital role in keeping bespoke awards safe during transit. We aim to strike a delicate balance between using enough material to keep your award safe and using as little single-use material as possible.

Ultimately, we’ve developed a three-layer packaging method to avoid damage. Awards arriving damaged can cause unnecessary stress on the day of your event, and a secure level of packaging reduces the risk of additional fuel use to repair and redeliver the award.

We’re constantly on the lookout for secure and effective eco-friendly packaging options. Our outer boxes and bubble wrap are 100% recyclable, and we offer dedicated courier options to avoid additional travel through postal depots.

How can I buy a sustainable trophy?

The process of ordering an eco-friendly custom award is super simple with our in-house team.

Enquiry – Get in touch! A member of the team will ask you for some information to put together a brief for our design team.
Quote – Receive a 3D render of what your sustainable trophy will look like.
Order – The team begins to manufacture your awards.
Proof – Double-check your winners details and any printed elements.
Delivery – Your eco-friendly trophies are packed in recyclable materials where possible, and shipped directly to you.

If you’re interested in a new sustainable trophy, or are looking to make the switch to an eco-friendly trophy, get in touch with a member of the team below.