Switching To Eco Friendly Banners
Like almost all industries worldwide now, there is a growing movement in the print industry to move to more sustainable and eco-friendly manufacture and business practices. Reducing your business’s carbon footprint has become a major innovation priority for most print companies. Here are some eco-friendly aspects of banner printing for your business to consider:
Standard PVC Banners
Most banners have traditionally been printed on Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) – this is a material that is low-cost to produce and easy to manufacture. PVC is used worldwide to produce many products including furniture, toys, and large amounts of packaging – it is, however, not at all eco-friendly, cannot be recycled and, therefore, producing PVC carries a heavy environmental cost. It is still the predominant material used in large format printing such as sign and banner production, but the ever-increasing awareness of environmental responsibility and now, demand for, has seen a move in the print industry to more sustainable and greener materials to produce eco-friendly banners.
PVC Free Banner Printing
There is a growing demand from customers for their banner printing needs to be met through eco-friendly printing methods and materials and, therefore, a move away from PVC banners and signs. Eco-friendly banners can be recycled easily and harmlessly when reached end-of-life use – non-PVC materials that are lightweight and 100% recyclable are now being used by eco-friendly printing companies with these newer materials being compatible with the required latex, eco-solvents, and UV printing processes. Aluminium is one alternative material now being used in large format printing.
Inks And Applications
Latex printing is an ever-growing banner printing technique. They use water-based inks and are fast-drying so are available for use almost instantly upon printing. Eco-friendly inks are just as efficient and high-quality as the more traditional ink products that use more harmful chemicals, and the eco-friendly ink options produce the same vivid colour definition and images and, in some cases, superior finishes to the traditional inks. Latex ink cartridges are fully recyclable and the ink itself is biodegradable thus reducing the carbon footprint when being disposed of.
Eco Friendly Banner Printing Benefits
There are many benefits of switching to eco-friendly printing – here are some examples:
- Renewable materials – An eco-friendly printing company will use materials such as aluminium, yarn, hemp or cotton fabrics, or rigid board to produce their sustainable printed banners.
- Certification – These newer more sustainable materials help printing companies achieve the relevant certification for the industry standards of quality such as ISO9001 and ISO14001 which comply with both British and European standards.
- Durability – Eco friendly banners are made from materials that are designed to be tough and sturdy to withstand the different elements wherever they are being deployed, whilst also retaining the flexibility to be easily folded and stored away for later use.
- Customer Appeal – An ever-increasing number of businesses now will only deal with suppliers and traders that match their own eco-responsible business practices – being an eco-friendly printing company will make you more attractive to more businesses.
Introducing more eco-friendly printing practices is a positive move for any print company both environmentally and economically.
