OUT OF SIGHT, out of mind. So goes the old adage. When it comes to signage, event graphics, and out-of-home advertising, however, most marketers hope their brand’s impact will linger in consumers’ memories long after a campaign ends. Unfortunately, it is not only campaign messaging that lingers. Every year in the United States, hundreds of millions of square feet of vinyl banners reach the end of their usefulness, and with not much thought given to their disposal, many end up in landfill or are incinerated. However, while they may be out of sight, their resulting environmental impacts are no longer out of mind.
On average, most PVC banners designed for advertising and marketing are used for up to 45 days, after which most end up in landfill or are incinerated. Yet when sent to landfill, PVC takes decades to break down and can leach toxic compounds — particularly those from plasticizers such as phthalates — into the environment. If incinerated, notoriously hard-to-monitor carcinogenic compounds such as dioxins and furans can be emitted into the air, while the fly ash resulting from burning PVC also is toxic and thus needs to be carefully disposed of. (And this is before you consider the horrifying levels of toxicity being released into the environments of numerous American communities through the production of PVC.)
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