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Turning Trade Show Waste into Warmth: Amtelco’s Fabric Donation Initiative
Every year, trade shows generate an immense amount of waste—much of it in the form of fabric used for exhibits, banners, and displays. Instead of letting these materials go to landfills, Amtelco has found a way to give them a second life while making a meaningful impact on communities in need.
Through a partnership with the dedicated quilters at St. John’s Church in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, Amtelco donates fabric from its exhibits and trade shows to be repurposed into quilts for Lutheran World Relief (LWR). These quilts provide warmth, comfort, and hope to people facing hardship worldwide.
The process is simple but has powerful effects in the long term. When trade shows end, leftover exhibit fabric that would typically be discarded is collected and sent to the quilting group at St. John’s. The church’s skilled quilters carefully remove any zippers or Velcro from the fabric, ensuring that every usable piece can be transformed into something new. The fabric is then sewn into sturdy, colorful quilts that serve as liners—an essential component in the quilt-making process.
This initiative is a perfect example of how sustainability and social responsibility can go hand in hand. By repurposing trade show materials, Amtelco reduces landfill waste and supports a mission that provides warmth and comfort to families in need. The quilts made from these donations are sent worldwide, reaching communities affected by poverty, conflict, and disaster.
Plastic Bag Recycling at Amtelco
We collect plastic bags from employees in the office and send them to Trex via their plastic bag recycling program. Employees collect what they and their friends & family use at their homes and then conveniently drop them off in one of the three collection bins we have around the office building. The bags are regularly gathered, ineligible items are removed, then they are weighed on the scale in the shipping room, have their photo taken, and uploaded along with the weight amount in the NexTrex portal, and then the bags are dropped off at a local grocery store for them to handle & ship to Trex from there.
One bench has been earned so far from meeting a goal of collecting over 500lbs in 6 months. If you have been to Amtelco’s home office, you might recognize the bench, made of recycled materials, sitting just outside the front doors. Amtelco does this recycling process regardless if a goal is earned, as we believe it’s a great way to help keep these plastics out of landfills or other places and ensure they are recycled correctly and put to good use.
A Commitment to a Greener Future
As Earth Day approaches, Amtelco remains committed to finding innovative ways to minimize waste and maximize impact. The fabric donation program is just one way Amtelco is working towards a more sustainable future while supporting meaningful causes.
Amtelco encourages other companies to consider similar initiatives, such as repurposing materials, donating unused resources, or finding creative ways to reduce their environmental footprint.
This Earth Day, we celebrate the power of small actions that lead to big change. Because when sustainability meets service, everyone benefits.
