Published!

If you are in the advertising industry then it is highly likely that you are familiar with the magazine Media Inc. I wrote an article that appears in the current issue (March 2008). My article discusses the introduction and adaptation of eco-friendly materials into outdoor billboard industry. Below is the article- enjoy!

Billboards: Time For Change

Over the past year eco-friendly products have steadily become the obsession of American businesses and consumers. As we forge ahead into 2008 the concept of sustainability will continue to garner more attention- and rightfully so. Already a wide variety of industries have begun to feel society’s pressure to “go green”. One such industry poised to take its share of the public’s pressure is the outdoor advertising industry.

According to the OAAA there are over 170,000 billboards that stretch across America and nearly all of these boards are printed on polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. Most printers use PVC due to its ability to reproduce vibrant images, immense durability, and most importantly, its low cost. Although PVC has a plethora of notable qualities, it is not without its drawbacks.

Unfortunately PVC is not recyclable and therefore the vast majority of these billboards ending up in landfills across the United States. PVC is also widely regarded as highly toxic to water and soil through leaching once in a landfill, creating an extremely adverse effect on our environment. In an effort to remedy these issues, many substrate manufacturers have been working diligently on an alternate solution.

A new substrate is beginning to emerge within the billboard market - polyethylene (PE). PE is significantly lighter in weight (about one-third the weight of PVC), costs less to produce, plus it’s 100% recyclable. Yes, 100% recyclable. For these reasons, many industry leaders feel that PE will soon be the industry standard.

So why isn’t everyone printing on polyethylene? Probably the biggest factor is the fact that most billboard printers have machines that use solvent inks, which do not adhere well to PE and also off-gas once printing is complete. In order for solvent inks to be used, the PE material must first be coated with chemicals that will allow the solvent to penetrate the substrate. Once this coating is applied nearly all of the recyclable qualities of PE are lost and we are essentially back to where we started.

However there is now a solution. A handful of billboard printers have made the significant monetary investment in machines that utilize UV inks. This state-of-the-art technology applies the ink as a thin layer that sits on the surface of the PE material. The process is then finalized when the machine’s high-powered heat lamps instantly dry the ink and permanently binds it to the substrate. Since the UV ink does not actually penetrate the substrate no chemical coating is needed and thus no solvent is embedded with the material. The combination of UV inks with PE material is by far the “greenest” solution available for outdoor printing.

Societal pressure to “go green” will undoubtedly continue to gain support and momentum in the outdoor industry. Fortunately this pressure has facilitated fresh inventiveness within this market, creating more sustainable printing solutions - polyethylene. There is now a more eco-friendly alternative available. When planning your next billboard campaign a responsible decision now has an environmental solution.

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