Member of the Better Stands Community

September 24th, 2026

ET GLOBAL is a member of the international Better Stands Community. In this way, the company supports the industry-wide shift away from single-use exhibition stands towards reusable designs.

This membership forms part of ET GLOBAL’s sustainability approach, which is outlined in the sustainability section of its website. It encompasses exhibition stand construction, event stand construction and international exhibition management. The aim is not to treat sustainability as an isolated measure, but to integrate it into consultancy, processes and project decisions: from strategy and briefing through to design, material selection, supplier management and logistics, right through to the reuse of an exhibition stand.

What Better Stands assesses

Better Stands uses a ten-point checklist to assess the extent to which the components of a specific exhibition stand can be reused or recycled. The classification is divided into the categories ‘Disposable’, Bronze, Silver and Gold.

This provides a common basis for assessment for exhibitors, organisers, stand builders, service providers, venues and associations. Companies can clearly assess the reusability of their exhibition stand and make targeted improvements right from the planning stage.

For ET GLOBAL, Better Stands focuses attention on the design and reusability of individual stands. The overarching approach goes further, incorporating processes, supply chains, data and responsibilities.

Better Stands Logo

Why modular exhibition stands have a lasting impact beyond the duration of the trade fair

An exhibition stand is often only on display for a few days. The decisions behind it, however, have a longer-lasting impact: materials are sourced, components are manufactured, transport is organised and budgets are committed.

What is therefore crucial is not just the choice of materials for an individual project, but whether a brand presence is created as a one-off structure or as a modular system that can be adapted across different events, venues and markets. Reusable concepts improve predictability, reduce the need for new production at short notice and spread investment costs across multiple uses.

Nachhaltiger Messebau beginnt im Briefing

The teams at ET GLOBAL, consisting of Design, Technology & Engineering, Project Management and OnSite, bring these perspectives together during project planning. The following questions, amongst others, are already relevant at the briefing stage:

Which components can be reused across multiple deployments?
How can a concept be adapted to different spaces, formats and markets?
Which materials can be repaired, reconditioned or returned to existing recycling loops?
How can production, storage and logistics be planned with foresight?
What requirements arise from the client’s CSR or sustainability strategy?
What project data is required for transparent communication?

In this way, sustainability is not simply added at the end of the project, but is integrated at an early stage alongside brand impact, budget, quality and implementation:

"More sustainable exhibition experiences are not created through a single material or a label. What matters is the quality of the decisions made before design and production even begin. Our membership in the Better Stands Community provides us with a practical framework to make these decisions more structured and transparent together with our clients. Because reuse does not begin at dismantling, it begins at the briefing."

Dr. Magnus Ekerot, CEO at ET GLOBAL.

Better Stands in conjunction with ISO 20121, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and EcoVadis

Membership fits within the existing management and assessment structures. ET GLOBAL has been certified to ISO 20121 for sustainable event management since 2026, supplemented by ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001. The EcoVadis assessment examines sustainability management in the areas of the environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

An overview of the levels:

Better Stands assesses the reusability of a specific exhibition stand.
ISO 20121 provides the framework for sustainable event management.
ISO 9001 structures the quality processes.
ISO 14001 integrates environmental aspects into the management system.
ISO 27001 governs the secure handling of information and project data.
EcoVadis complements these standards with a company-wide assessment.

What membership does not imply

ET GLOBAL takes a deliberately nuanced approach to membership. The Better Stands logo signifies membership of the community and a shared commitment to reusable exhibition stands. It does not mean that every exhibition stand built by a member automatically receives a Bronze, Silver or Gold classification. Each stand is assessed individually against the Better Stands criteria. Nor do the management systems replace the project-specific assessment.

Better Stands Gold for exhibition stands by ZEISS, Exacom and Faller Packaging

ET GLOBAL has already completed several client projects that have been assessed against the Better Stands criteria. In 2025, the exhibition stands for ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions and Exacom GmbH at The Battery Show Europe, as well as for Faller Packaging at CPHI, each received a Better Stands Gold rating. The ratings relate exclusively to the respective exhibition stands. They demonstrate the potential that arises when reusability and modular structures are taken into account right from the design phase.

An approach covering the entire project cycle

The transition to responsibly planned live experiences requires clear objectives, shared criteria, robust processes and collaboration between clients, organisers, stand builders, suppliers, venues and associations. Through its Better Stands membership scheme, certified management systems and sustainability strategy, ET GLOBAL brings together these key elements for stand construction, events and exhibition management.

Member of the Better Stands Community for reusable exhibition stands