Ruckus & Co. (asi/84119), a Greenwood, SC-based supplier of event products, is helping the promo industry enter the circular economy with a new takeback program, meant to address the environmental impact of event credentials and lanyards.

Ruckus & Co. (asi/84119) offers a TagBack box, making it easy for organizers to recycle lanyards and nametags after an event.

The company has just launched TagBack, an end-to-end recycling program that helps organizers and attendees easily and sustainably dispose of nametags, lanyards and other credentials at the end of an event. Traditionally, such items have been difficult to recycle and often end up in landfills after events. Some reports have found that trade shows generate an estimated 600,000 tons of trash a year in the U.S., so figuring out how to incorporate sustainability, circularity and waste reduction into such events has become increasingly critical.

The TagBack program from Ruckus seamlessly integrates with event orders, equipping organizers with specially designed TagBack collection boxes. At the close of an event, used lanyards and credentials can be deposited into one of the boxes and shipped back to Ruckus & Co. using prepaid labels. This turnkey process eliminates common barriers to recycling. Ruckus products have been vetted and approved for recycling, and the company has an agreement with a national recycling company to handle its used lanyards and event credentials, the supplier told ASI Media.

“Event waste is a significant challenge for our industry, and lanyards and credentials are a big part of that problem,” said Ben Ridgeway of Ruckus & Co. “With TagBack, we’re empowering event organizers and attendees to make a tangible difference, while helping companies visibly demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship.”

Lanyard takeback programs have been growing in popularity. At the 2024 Sustainable Brands conference in San Diego, collection bins were stationed in strategic locations. Acting as the official lanyard sponsor, Debrand, a Canadian company that helps apparel and footwear brands with reuse and recycling, collected the event’s lanyard bins for later sortation. Undamaged lanyards were disinfected for reuse at the following year’s event, and damaged products were recycled by Eastman, using its molecular recycling technology. TerraCycle, a company that helps recycle and upcycle products that municipal recycling centers typically don’t accept, also offers a Zero Waste Box, specifically for lanyards and nametags.

Product takeback programs, like TagBack, are an example of extended producer responsibility (EPR), where end-of-life product management is handled by producers and other parts of the supply chain, shifting the waste management burden away from governments and taxpayers. Several states have passed or are in the process of passing EPR legislation for paper, packaging and even textiles.

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