26 May 2021
Outdoor advertising goes green!
GM Media introduces a unique product line for outdoor printing that is overturning the direction of this segment towards sustainable and socially-responsible advertising. The new generation of outdoor print materials is produced without environmentally harmful polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and can be 100% recyclable.
Sustainability challenge for outdoor advertising market
Outdoor banners remain an attractive form of advertising. Thanks to large formats and relatively low advertising noise in the outdoor space, these banners are frequently included into the media mix of numerous advertising campaigns. However, it is getting obvious that outdoor advertising is currently facing serious sustainability issues, while increasing number of socially responsible advertisers are expressing skepticism towards this product or even rejecting it. The reason lays in the used production materials and poor recycling possibilities. Most outdoor advertising banners are made on PVC basis which is toxic and harmful to both – nature and humans. Large formats, in this case, are also a major source of pollution.
Moreover, most outdoor advertising banners are non-recyclable and when advertising campaigns are over, they become toxic waste for about 400 years (it takes this long to decompose) or are incinerated, thus releasing hazardous substances into the atmosphere.
Big brands, motivated by their customers, have begun to carefully monitor the footprint of their activity and are replacing or even abandoning the most polluting operations. It is no suprise that outdoor advertising has become their frequent target.
Solution found – an environmentally friendly outdoor banner
GM Media offers a sustainable alternative – Eco Frontlit PP Premium – a PVC-free outdoor banner that is 100% recyclable.
To produce such an outdoor banner, polypropylene (PP) is used instead of PVC. From an environmental point of view, polypropylene is among the most neutral plastics and contains only carbon and hydrogen, so when incinerated it emits environmentally friendly materials – water and carbon dioxide.
Besides, once the advertising campaign is over, by separating the paint layer from the print base, the banner can be recycled and can come back to life.
Eco Frontlit PP Premium is durable, tensile-resistant, easily weldable and eye-let, with long-lasting bright colors and smooth hanging. The print can be on both sides, which allows to achieve maximum visual brightness.
“Usually sustainable solutions only work in practice, if innovative companies and their employees do not need to make any compromises in quality or investment into new technologies. We are really glad that the innovation we are introducing maintains the usual characteristics and quality of outdoor banner materials, but allows using them without changing the established production chain or banner- mounting routine,” states Mantas Ažusienis, GM Media Director.
Cheaper and more sustainable logistics
Eco Frontlit PP Premium is significantly lighter in comparison to conventional materials for outdoor banners. It is 150 gr/m2, which allows to significantly reduce both – transportation costs as well as related CO2 emission.
“We are happy that our new product is sustainable in several respects, and our customers’ sustainable choices are really consistent. Besides, printing houses and their customers can at least partially (while in some cases – almost fully) compensate a certain increase in material costs by lower printing and storage expenses,” adds Mantas Ažusienis.
A range of eco-friendly products
GM Media product range includes two materials with the same sustainability properties. The above-mentioned Eco Frontlit PP Premium is a great choice for long-term or medium advertising campaigns. The second one – Eco Frontlit PP Standart – is an even lighter alternative (125 gr/m2) with excellent print quality and high resistance characteristics, while it is cheaper and well-suited for smaller outdoor formats and short-term advertising campaigns.