An Eco-Friendly Electronics Show

The World’s Coolest Trade Show is Working to Be the Greenest

With the help of our partners, including GES, Aramark, the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, CES attendees now have more opportunities than ever to recycle while conducting a year's worth of business in one prime, environmentally friendly location.

Green Exhibits and Programming at the 2009 International CES

The Technology and the Environment Knowledge Tracks are informative sessions that hone in on some of the most important steps forward the industry has taken, from ENERGY STAR advances to best practices in recycling and energy consumption. Don't miss the Greener Gadgets session, a preview of the Greener Gadgets Conference coming this February to New York.

The 2009 International CES will also feature the Sustainable Planet Spotlight area, featuring 20 exhibitors over 3,100 square feet. The exhibition highlights the latest products entering the green spectrum, making it possible for every person on this planet to stay connected, informed and live sustainable lifestyles. NOTE: The Greener Gadgets TechZone and the Sustainable Planet Spotlight have moved to the Central Hall due to an increase in exhibitors. They can be found near the LG booth – look for the Sustainable Planet banner.

CES Environmental Investments

The Consumer Electronics Association has invested $100,000 to develop a recycling program in the Las Vegas area working with Clark County Schools, the fifth largest school district in the country. The fund will create a recycling and environmental education initiative for students and faculty. The program is still in development but will include bins for recycling as well as a curriculum component for students.

Attendees: A Smaller Footprint with Bigger Opportunities
The International CES provides our industry an opportunity to convene at one time, in one place, at an eco-friendly blockbuster summit that minimizes your annual travel.

By attending CES, our attendees avoid over 700 million miles of business travel – enough to travel from the earth to the sun seven times.
Each of our attendees has an average of 12 meetings while at CES and approximately 1.7 million meetings are conducted in total.
Representatives travel from over 140 different countries, offering a truly global opportunity.

Exhibitors: Make Your Booth Space an Eco-Space

GES offers several eco-friendly booth packages to help make small responsible changes that amount to a big difference. Check out our Sustainable Exhibit Solutions Order Form, including:

Insert panels which are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and are formaldehyde-free
Shelves and counters made from formaldehyde-free particle board
Eco-friendly carpet

Why Go Green?

CEA Senior Vice President Karen Chupka takes a bold stance on why green is primary in CES' palette.

How Green was the 2008 International CES?

In our first year of "greening" the International CES, CEA and its partners:

Recycled 51 percent (121.27 tons) of the total solid waste generated by show attendees.
Implemented recycling bins, recycled carpeting and other enviro-friendly materials onsite.
Offset more than 20,000 tons of carbon emissions.
Worked with the LVCC to replace more than 15,000 gallons of non-sustainable products, eliminating harsh chemicals used to clean and maintain more than 100 restrooms and the convention space daily.
Switched to recycled paper products including toilet paper, facial tissue and paper towels in the LVCC.
Diverted all light bulbs used by the show from landfills, as well as batteries and other electronics products.
Put hazardous waste disposal programs in effect for waste oil, paints and solvents, and instituted a gas recovery program.
Proudly offered two-thirds of all attendee food containers and utensils made of biodegradable hemp, corn byproduct or other organic materials.
Used recycled carpet in the aisles in the LVCC.
Printed all attendee flyers and CES literature on recycled paper using soy ink.
Highlighted eco-friendly gadgets through its Sustainable Technology TechZone.

A Shade Brighter in '09

New in 2009, CES is working with all of its facilities to minimize its impact on the environment and offer more opportunities for attendees and exhibitors to recycle and make responsible green choices. CES is working with Planet Metrics to calculate its carbon output and considering local reforestation and environmental projects in Nevada.

Print Production at the International CES
The Consumer Electronics Association has cut its print production for CES by nearly 50 percent in the last four years. Materials have gone virtual, including:

The International CES Conferences brochure, once 88 pages and distributed to 250,000
The International CES Conference directory, reduced to an insert in the Show Guide, saving 50 pages at 70,000 copies
The CES Exhibitor Manual, once thousands of pages for 2,700 exhibitors

All remaining hard copy materials meet the standards of the Sustainable Forest Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council and are printed on recycled paper.

CES uses Aramark catering services, which is:

Reducing use of individual serving size condiment packages.
Assessing cleaning products and striving to use those recognized as environmentally safe and non-toxic.
Boosting purchase of post-consumer content recycled or FSC-approved office paper and stationery and recycled ink cartridges.
Using biodegradable service ware and 100 percent recycled napkins.
Increasing purchases of organic and locally grown or sourced products.
Selecting ENERGY STAR® equipment when purchasing new or replacement products

Learn more about Aramark's initiatives.

CES chooses exhibit venues like the Las Vegas Convention Center, which:

Participates in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WasteWise Program.
Diverts recyclable materials from landfills such as cardboard, paper, carpet padding and plastic.
Is currently averaging a 50 percent recycle rate for all of its shows.
Replaced paper towels, toilet paper, and other paper products with recycled materials.
Recycles exhibit hall and meeting room materials during all phases of show activity.
Recycles engine oil, antifreeze, paint thinner, tires, and various metals as well as recapturing Freon from air conditioning units.
Uses a power monitoring system to tracks electrical power usage and identify areas for improved efficiency.
Uses water conservation devices installed in urinals, toilets and faucets.
Optimizes electronic communication to decrease dependence on paper communication methods.

Learn more about greening at the LVCC.

CES utilizes conference venues like the Palazzo, which:

Received silver-certification by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Conserves enough water to provide each Nevada citizen with 266 eight-ounce glasses of water for a year and saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 12,100 years.
Offers valet parking for bicycles.

CES work with exhibition contractors GES, which:

Offers green booth packaging, including eco-friendly paneling, carpeting, graphics printed with water-soluble ink, and LED lighting (coming soon).
Runs 95 percent of all equipment on clean, natural gas. No gasoline or diesel.
Uses ENERGY STAR® rated lighting.
Uses trash cans and liners that are biodegradable and eco-friendly, as well as table top covers from recyclable materials.
Uses visqueen products made of 50 percent recycled materials.
Eliminated hard copies and implemented the use of an online exhibitor manual.
Added recycled carpet in special feature areas such as Registration, TechZones and Innovations Plus.

CES floors additional space at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, which:

Recycled 89 percent of materials at its largest show.
Recycles copper, aluminum, brass and heavy metals, word, carpet padding, glass and extension cords.
Utilizes Green Seal environmentally friendly cleaning products.
Trains with EcoLab to maximize efficiency on saving water, electricity, soap, etc.
Donates left over packaged foods to the Las Vegas Mission and left over bulk foods to local farms for animal feed at the end of each trade show.
Uses ENERGY STAR® rated fluorescent lights for all meeting, lobby and office space lighting. The florescent bulbs are then recycled through an outside vendor.
Implements an office recycling program which takes their ink cartridges, toner cartridges and old cell phone batteries and keeps them out of landfills.
Conserves energy by limiting lighting and HVAC levels during non-show days.
Shreds all inter-office paper and donates the product for use in a local no-kill pet shelter.
Monitors levels of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide to ensure safe air quality.
Installs dimmers on all lighting within the facility to reduce voltage to 220 volts, without affecting brightness and resulting in a monthly energy savings of 20-30 percent.
Installs Dyson hand dryers in a number of restrooms to eliminate the use for paper towels. Automatic dispensed foam hand soap is used which eases on the waste of soap and water.