Chelsea Rolfe, Assistant Head of Conferences and Events (Sales and Marketing) at the University of Leeds, reflects on the sustainability dilemmas of event merchandise – and how small, thoughtful choices can have a lasting impact.

Event merchandise – an element of events that I’ve always felt conflicted about from a sustainability perspective. It’s a tricky balance: trying to find something that reflects your brand and values, that people will actually want, and that doesn’t compromise your environmental principles.

A conscious shift at the University of Leeds

At the University of Leeds Conferences and Events, we’ve made a real effort over the last few years to review what we’re giving away and why. The truth is, merchandise still has its place. It can help create a memorable experience, prompt a conversation, or simply be a kind gesture. But we also recognise that it can lead to waste, particularly when items lack sustainable materials or don’t hold value for the recipient.

A creative concept with hidden costs

For our most recent trade show, we wanted to do something a little different. We worked closely with our creative team to come up with a few concepts, one of which was a wooden educational game. It felt like a great fit – fun, tactile, and subtly tied to our University roots. The company we worked with were brilliant and really open to our ideas. But once we started digging a little deeper into the product’s sustainability credentials, we hit a few red flags.

The cost of doing better

The version we sampled came from China and used materials that didn’t meet our sustainability standards. When we asked for a greener alternative, they offered the same product made here in the UK with more sustainable materials – but at five times the cost. While we’re always willing to invest in quality and sustainability, in this instance, the price made it unviable.

Simple, local and sustainable wins the day

So, we went back to the drawing board.

In the end, we decided to go with something simple, thoughtful, and consumable – chocolates from Lauden , a fantastic family-run company based in Kirkstall, Leeds. By choosing them, we supported a local company and discovered they partner with Cocoa Horizons – an organisation working to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and promote sustainable farming. You can read more about their work here.

Small choices, big impact

The chocolates were a hit – and they didn’t end up in landfill.

It’s not always easy to get it right, but we’re committed to trying. We’ll continue to seek out suppliers who share our values, ask the right questions, and challenge ourselves to do better. Because thoughtful choices – however small – add up.