Just to throw it out there, "wasted space" is a pretty essential part of any design if you want people to be able to quickly read and comprehend it. One of the first things you learn with desktop publishing is that the white space is just as important as the rest of the piece. I'm not saying there isn't room for improvement, but reducing/removing all blank spaces from any piece usually ends up being a mistake.
The primary reason behind the move, rather than paper savings (although that's a nice benefit, too!), was the time it takes logistics to prepare for an average event using a tag system. It was heinous. And awful. And made babies cry. This new system significantly reduces the time logistics teams have to spend pulling and sorting tags. It's not perfect, and we'll hone it as it gets used and continue making improvements, but overall I applaud this move and think it will have a very positive impact on the volunteers that have braved paper cuts and permanently crossed eyes to provide the rest of us with the foundational pieces to have a good time at events.
