Imageco - winner of this year’s Green Award at the British Sign Awards - has stated that it will offer the UFabrik Eco range of media made from recycled PET waste, as standard.
“We've been looking at the eco agenda for over two years now, and we’re had a great deal of support from [UFabrik Eco supplier] CMYUK,” said Imageco MD Nathan Swinson-Bullough.
“The UFabrik Eco materials print incredibly well on both our Vutek and Latex machines, and the fact that they’re made from recycled bottles is fantastic.”
Imageco will now use UFabrik Eco FR for all its backlit/frontlit applications across retail, events and exhibitions. UFabrik Opaque Textile Eco FR will be used for all blockout and light management requirements. UFabrik Wallcover Canvas Eco, which comes in white and grey back, will be used for single piece wallcoverings, wallpaper, and staple wrap-around frames.
Imageco has also adopted PVC-free Kavalan as a core product for its large banner and mesh.
“We have created a bespoke and creative name for ourselves, but let’s not forget the standard bread and butter work of banners and other products, when we print these, I want to use sustainable substrates,” said Swinson-Bullough.
His drive to a greener business was ignited just over two years ago, when he watched David Attenborough’s ‘Blue Planet 2’. Since then he has been evaluating materials and technologies to improve the company’s green credentials and output.
In addition to a LED-based EFI Vutek GS 3250 LX Pro, which it purchased from EFI five years ago, Imageco has also installed two HP Latex printers running water-based inks. The company has also signed up to ISO 14001 and has installed a voltage optimisation device from Planet-U Energy. This month, the company will also finish installing a rooftop array of solar panels that will provide a third of the company’s energy needs. By the end of this year, all remaining energy will be generated from renewable energy solutions.
Swinson-Bullough has bought an electric vehicle, and is tracking developments in the national road electrification infrastructure to see how it can viably support the needs of the company.
Imageco has also announced a new initiative with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust. For every 10m of UFabrik canvas Eco wallcoverings printed, Imageco will plant a tree - with a target of 500 trees in the first year.