CACTUS TAKES WORLD SUSTAINABILITY AWARD

Large-format print producer Cactus Imaging has been acknowledged as the global leader in wide-format sustainability, with its PVC-free flexible banner fabric, Ecobanner, taking out the Sustainability Award at the World Out of Home Congress held in Hong Kong.

The award is a major coup for Cactus, positioning the company as the world leader in wide-format sustainability. General manager Nigel Spicer has been the driving force behind the strategy and development of the project for the PVC-free flexible banner fabric, which offers a 100 per cent capable closed-loop recycling solution for large-format billboard advertising.

Developed in conjunction with Gale Pacific, the Ecobanner material is available to all print businesses to use. Cactus could have had exclusivity, but decided to open it up to all so everyone has the opportunity to use it.

It prints on all the Cactus large format equipment so there are no issues there. The aim is to have up to 80 per cent of all billboards printed on this material. The width of the rolls is the only thing currently stopping Cactus from wider use, as the roll size is  up to 3.5 metres at the moment. It may be a year before it can get to five metres wide.

Traditional PVC-based banner materials have proved superb at holding the ink, providing the base for vibrant images, and able to withstand harsh outdoor elements; they are, however, environmentally problematic. The new Ecobanner, developed by Cactus, which is part of the oOh! Media Group, provides the same print fidelity and characteristics as traditional media, but can be recycled, rather than ending up in landfill.

The sustainable banner initiative was under oOh!’s Environmental, Social, and Governance team, in partnership with its printing arm, Cactus Imaging, which wanted a large format Out of Home solution that met the evolving sustainability demands of agencies and advertisers. Following extensive research with Gale Pacific, oOh! adopted Ecobanner by Gale Pacific as its default product for compatible large format billboards, thereby compelling advertisers to consider sustainability when it comes to their advertising choices. 

oOh! CEO Cathy O'Connor was at the event in Hong Kong, and picked up the award, which recognises innovation that marks an important step in reducing the environmental footprint of Out of Home advertising.

The breakthrough material was first used during the FIFA Women's World Cup last year at the iconic Glebe Island Silos. O’Connor, said: “Our collaboration with Gale Pacific on Ecobanner exemplifies how innovation and sustainability can coexist, driving the Out of Home sector toward a more sustainable future. We’re delighted to receive this honour in a category that celebrates the great work being done in sustainability by OOH peers around the world.”