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Graphically green

By: Chrissy Kadleck
November 09, 2009

In a throwaway world of event-driven, time-sensitive banners and signs, Worldwide Graphics & Sign Co. is working to make its designs and materials more earth friendly for its customers and the landfills.

The Cincinnati-based firm recently introduced a new green technology called WorldGreen, which allows artists, interior designers and advertisers to create custom jobs printed on and with biodegradable materials.

“Traditionally in our world of graphics and signage, there really have never been green options until recently,” said owner Christian Beebe, who has worked in the industry for about 15 years. He said he was reluctant to “jump on the green bandwagon” and instead watched, listened and learned about the technology before deciding to private label his own brand about a year ago. “I wanted to be one of the first ones to come out and offer this in our industry.”

With seven flat sheet products and five new roll products, WorldGreen offers signage options that are biodegradable, recyclable and sometimes both. The flat sheet products include foamcore, foamboard, PVC, hardboard, outdoor board and indoor board. The roll products include photo paper, banner, Tyvek banner, fabric and wallcoverings.

In addition, WorldGreen printing is done using a UV curable ink system. The UV-inks contain little or no solvents, leading to a lack of VOCs when printing.

Worldwide’s greener alternatives look and feel the same as their less friendly counterparts but are distinctly different in the way they can be recycled or how fast they degrade in the landfill when exposed to bacteria-rich environments. Other products are made with no harsh chemicals, wax or PVC coating, and can be recycled safely.

“Let’s say you’ve got a company that is ordering X number of banners a month or a year, instead of doing a regular banner that probably lasts hundreds and hundreds of years in a landfill, they can select our banner material which is biodegradable … and it turns into inert hummus in about five years in the landfill,” Beebe said.

Worldwide announced the new technology last year and has really started pushing it in the last six to seven months achieving a slow but steady interest in items which cost about 10% to 15% more.

“The reception is that people love the idea, the actual reality is a little different,” he said. “It’s probably the worst time to roll this out. Everybody has got this mental block with the economy, so paying more is not what they are trying to hear, even if it’s green or not.”

Signage and graphics are often not on the top priority list of companies looking to be more environmentally conscious or those with sustainability missions and waste reduction goals. But Beebe said he believes it’s largely due to the lack of knowledge about the new options that extend beyond post consumer recycled board.

“If we could do an infomercial about WorldGreen products, we’d probably have a million dollars worth of business,” Beebe said. “There are companies that have literally switched over tons of things at their businesses from their little cups to things that they do. … But they don’t realize that those thousands of banners a year they are throwing away are lasting 10 times longer than anything else in the landfill.”

Copyright 2009 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved

(Originally posted at: http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/arcshow.html?id=09110900502)

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