At Cherwell Sign Supplies we are moving with the times to ensure our part in your valued supply chain is both reliable, sustainable and based on your feedback. We are aiming to make it easier for sign makers to meet their own sustainability targets through new products and processes. We can split these solutions into four broad groups:
1. Reduce the use of Materials
Everyone wants point of sale displays and exhibition stands to look their best and your brand to be presented well. There are now innovative ways to do this with graphics fabrics that use a much smaller volume of material than traditional rigid sheet materials, such as foamed plastic board.
Cherwell’s Vistex printable polyester display fabric directly assists companies in meeting sustainability targets and goals while maintaining superb graphics and branding. The weight of material per square metre could be four times less than a 5 or 10mm foam board, and when used in large display areas this saving soon adds up.
2. Signage made from Recycled Materials
Aluminium products have long been known in this category, for good reasons. But for many years many sources of foamed PVC have used virgin material, as this was easy for the manufacturer. At Cherwell, we have introduced both PVC-free PPF foam sign board material made with recycled content, (and which is itself entirely recyclable) and the Palight Re-Nu board that still contains PVC but is made from 100% recycled content. These are growing in demand and are another example of eco-friendly products for the signs and exhibition stand industry.
3. Recyclable Signage Materials
Aluminium again features here, as it is so easily and efficiently recycled. Aluminium composite panels, which contain a core of plastic between two thin skins of aluminium, can also be recycled in most parts of the UK. The Euro ACP products have a LDPE core which is 100% recycled too. The problem comes with PVC products – widely used in the sign industry – as these are not so readily recycled.
4. PVC-free Print Media
The concerns around the manufacture and use of PVC materials are well-researched and documented. As Cherwell are a key supplier to the trade of digital print media for short or long runs we are detecting a trend for this media to be required to be free of PVC. We have a range of PVC-free foam board, such as the PPf board and are planning to introduce a PVC-free range of digital print media soon. Watch this space for developments on this front.
Meeting our own sustainability goals and helping you with yours is a whole-of-supply-chain endeavour and an evolving story, we hope to be able to add further to this list in the near future.