Well first, what is PVC? It’s a chemical – Poly-Vinyl Chloride – use in a lot products such as pipes, cladding, cables, floor and wall covering - specifically for graphics you’ll find it in:

• Banner material
• PVC foam boards (Foamex, Foamlux or various other brand names)
• Self-adhesive vinyl’s

These three categories cover most types of graphics you’re likely to be using on an exhibition stand (save for acrylic and aluminium composite), so what’s the importance of PVC?

Well, it might be a cheap material but during its production it uses chlorine, releasing dioxins, a toxic compound – bad for human health and the environment, with it ending up in water sources and the air – which can cause cancer. After it’s been used, a lot of PVC-based products end up in landfill or are burnt, again releasing yet more dioxins, as well as other chemicals such as phthalates, lead and cadmium. Not great. Although some more the pure PVC products – such as PVC foam boards – can be recycled fairly easily, with the other substrates such as banner and self-adhesive vinyl being harder to recycle because they are mixed with other materials and chemicals to make the final product.

So, the nasty PVC chemicals are bad, but what are the alternatives?

For banner materials the base material, cotton or polyester, can be recycled, so the coatings are the important part that needs to be PVC free. There are so many knitted textiles and woven banner substrates available that are more eco friendly, with lightbox, display and block-out grey/black-back options depending upon how you plan to use them.

Alternatives to PVC foamboard are dependant upon your use. For indoor use there are many fibre-board products available – you will see these are used as temporary signage in supermarkets, as they can be recycled on site with other cardboard waste. For short term outdoor use there are some treated fibre-board alternatives, but these are only likely to last month’s not years, like foamex would. You can use fluted polypropylene board (aka Correx) as an outdoor short term substrate – you will see these used as estate agent boards and builders signs, as well as bus side adverts. Looking for something that many last years outdoor? Then Aluminium Composite Material (ACM/ACP aka Dibond) would be the substrate of choice – used for shop and road signs.

With self-adhesive vinyls (SAV) there are many PVC free options available, often made with PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) or PolyPropylene (PP). Many people have a favourite brand of vinyl – such as Avery, Metamark, Mactac, Arlon, Drytac, 3M or Oralite, just to name a few – and like to stick to using these, as they’ve tested out the media, know it ease of application and how well the adhesive sticks. Trusting a new vinyl can take time and testing, as you often need a certain type of high-tack adhesive for low tack surfaces (like freshly painted MDF in cold exhibition halls…) or a block-out vinyl or an ultra-clear window film – there are a lot of new options for PVC free print vinyl and many special effects, but core coloured vinyl ranges typically still include PVC. A lot of graphics that used to be produced as vinyl drops can now be printed as one on banner or pastable wallpaper, so the solution may not be a new vinyl, but a different production method.

What’s the cost difference for going PVC free? This is a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ type of question. Undoubtedly the PVC free alternatives will be more expensive, due to less being produced and printed - but hopefully this will change as more people use it. It’s not just about the prices, as often the PVC free alternative will look better and can save time on prep and install, in the case black-back polyester banners for example. It can help you make more money – targeting larger clients with green targets to meet, or companies who sell eco-friendly products needing a green exhibition stand.

How easy is it to recycle PVC free graphics? Depending upon the substrate it can be really easy – fibre board based prints can be recycled with your existing cardboard and paper. We can take back polyester based banners for a small cost, where they will be recycled. Foamex can be stored and taken away – generally most recyclers will want a tonne of clean board, which they will take away for a small fee. Other substrates such as acrylic and aluminium composite material can be collected too.

Want to know how you can offer greener graphics? Just get in touch for a chat today.