ECO-FRIENDLY ERA HAS COME TO SIGN MARKET

FOCUSING ON MATERIAL, RECYCLE,
ELECTRIC POWER DRIVE AND DISUSE

'Eco-friendly' is no more a special word in sign industry. Europe and USA
are leading the eco-friendly era. Some regions have already applied eco
regulations in sign market. Sooner or later, all countries will have to prepare
how to comply with eco regulations. We will look into how much sign
industry has done and what should be prepared for eco regulations.

FADING FLEX SIGNS AWAY

Environment is so much valuable that can't convert to money. The concern for the environment is still getting higher even thought it's been repeated for decades. The eco-friendly atmosphere of the present administration is also affecting to sign industry. Of course, the eco-regulation for sign industry hasn't built yet but sign shops should
prepare what to do in advance.
The concept, 'Eco-friendly' is everywhere. But it is also true that there are rarely ones who know the concept exactly. Especially, sign shops doesn't try to figure it out scientifically and legally.
As eco-friendly is driven by government, flex signs are nowhere to stay. Materials for flex signs are the main obstacle to go for eco signs. Rejecting flex signs also bring an uniformity of signs but it should be solved by administration and design and this is the beginning of recognition of eco-friendly.
Of course, flex signs will be remained even though government prevents it as it is related to living. Therefore, we have to consider how to narrow the gap down between environment and real working situation in the eco-friendly era. And it's time to consider how to minimize the usage of current materials and how to disuse them legitimately.

YES, ECO-FRIENDLY! WHAT IS ECO SIGN?

Then, what is the specific meaning of eco-friendly in sign industry? Even if sign shops say that it is still too far away but there are already plenty of eco materials in sign market. And the eco-friendly demand is coming from here and there. Someone said that he knows about eco-friendly but doesn't know eco signs. Let's look into LED which gets spotlights for next generation lighting source. LED has been used for a long time for commercial usages but it is not for everyone as there wasn't a quantitative standard.
Government proceeded LED's standardization from the last year and now there are outcomes according to each product range. Surely there were some conflicts among people directly involved but there's no doubt that LED standardization made the usage of LED more convenient. Eco sign also needs the standardization like LED to make more customers use. Until now, most of sign shops still understand the concept of eco signs as 'Sign that uses less harmful materials than current ones'.
How have advanced countries defined the eco sign? ISA(International Sign Association, USA) classifies the eco sign into four sections. Firstly, it is the sign that is made by using waste, recyclable materials and agricultural waste. Second is the sign that preserves natural resources. Products that reduce the natural resources or wooden products that are highly durable or need less maintenance are included in this section.
Eco-friendly is coming over the world. One of European countries is very keen to save the energy building an eco village by using water power and wind power.
'Low carbon Green growth' led by government is now into Korea. Enterprises and government offices conduct green construction and companies who want to refresh their brand image develope or use green products. Also a credit card company made a green credit card using Korean paper, appealing to customers.
Like above, sign market isn't also free from toxic substance emission in eco trend. Advanced countries like US and European countries are already reinforcing eco related regulations whereas Korea's eco market is still premature but the interests are getting increasing. To prove these interests, current sign market is releasing eco equipments, inks, materials and so on, and companies which are interested in eco-friendly are getting increase.
A sign shop said, "Eco-friendly is a trend over the world. You can't survive if you don't prepare for ecofriendly.
Shops can accept the change if they learn green products gradually. Shops can make higher profit while they promote the value of green products and shouldn't stay in the market where the price is collapsed." Eco-friendly is no more avoidable and must be a breakthrough in recession.

CHANGING TO ECO-FRIENDLY INK

Large format printing, the biggest part of sign market in Korea, uses inks and materials which include VOC. PVC flex isn't rotten even if they are buried and emits dioxin when it is incinerated. Therefore, sign market can't ignore the environment issue. A sign shop realized this issue and currently released eco flex without involving PVC. This product doesn't emit any pollutant during incineration. It is safely used in and out and can be applied to solvent, eco-solvent and UV printer. It has a good sales in overseas rather than Korea as Korea market is not big enough. Biodegradable material is also developed. It is biodegradable plastic of which main ingredient is corn starch. This plastic is degradable about 90% within 6 months and doesn't emit dioxin or harmful organic matters.
It is released for bio, water/oil based, and laminating film for bio materials. To make a complete eco-friendly environment, inks should be eco-friendly. It is no use if shops use biodegradable materials and non eco-friendly inks. Both should be eco-friendly.

ECO INK APPEALS TO CUSTOMERS

Oil-based inks have a stink and involve pollutants and it harms both shops and customers. To solve this concern, shops release eco-friendly inks and equipment. A Japanese printer manufacturer has released a solvent machine using eco-friendly inks that involve very low VOC and remove nickel element, which causes cancer. Solvent doesn't have its specific smell so it is safe to use inside with pleasant working condition. Because it is less sensitive to the eyes and skin, it doesn't need additional ventilation system. There is a machine released installed water-based latex ink which emits less VOC and no ozone emission. The outcome of using this machine is odorless and free from hazard on environment, health, and safe.
Meanwhile, large format printing companies appeal to customers with UV printers that are relatively eco-friendly because they involve less VOC. A company said, "UV printing wasn't attractive before because of high production cost. But customers are now willing to use UV printing by eco-friendly inks even if the price is relatively high." Another company said, "We are using solvent and water-based machine and we are considering to buy UV printer for eco-friendly market." Sign shops are expecting more customers for eco-friendly products. But the prospect of the green market is still small and the price is quite high so sign shops hesitate to prepare the market.
Materials for eco-friendly products are expensive themselves and the R&D cost also makes the price high. So poor companies hesitate to use them even if they want to use.
Sign shops said, "now sign industry is having hard time so shops are only focusing on finding a breakthrough. So the reality is to find less cost and competitive products. If the government supports some cost to shops which buy eco-friendly products, then they may buy. If not, shops will have to wait."
Another said, "Eco-friendly market isn't activated so far. So it is natural that the unit price is high. But we are sure that the quantity will be increased and definitely the unit price will be reduced with the strong government's regulations on green market."
Sign shops can be ready for eco-friendly era as they improve their working place. They can secure workers' health if they install a very stable and safe ventilation system. A company recently has awarded with ISO 14001 certificate as the result that they have tried steadily for eco-friendly era. ISO 14001 certificate is the system that evaluate a company's whole process whether they comply with the standard to follow the environment oriented management.

REDUCING CO2 EMISSION

'Low carbon Green growth' is a campaign driven by government. The most important part in green growth and eco-friendly is to reduce CO2 emission. Then what is the biggest part to minimize CO2 emission in sigh market? It is to reduce power consumption. Someone thinks that it has nothing to do with sign market but it is true if he knows that the most production of electricity is by thermal power generation.
The more electricity is used, the more CO2 is emitted. If you want to talk about reducing CO2 emission, you can't miss LED. LED's power consumption is so much efficient more than ones that used in the past such as fluorescent light, neon, cold cathode, etc. Now LED makers should consider how to improve illuminance once LED became prevalent.
One of LED shops said, "LED's illuminance has much improved comparing to the first time it came to sign market. It means that it lights much illuminance than the same electricity. But the rectilinearity of the light is still to be improved."

2 DAY RUNNING BY 10 HOURS CHARGING

Solar energy is becoming eco-friendly lighting in sign market. Sun light is converted to electricity. With more improvement, solar energy will be outstanding among lighting sources. Solar energy can be gathered into a storage battery through solar panel. Usually one day charging can last 2 days to run the sign. The storage battery may give sign installer a space problem, but the one normally used for traffic signs is a brick size, 12V, 151mm(width) 94mm(height) so it doesn't bother the installation that much.
The basic process of solar system to traffic signs is that solar energy is absorbed to solar panel and controller accumulates the energy into the storage battery. The accumulated energy is sent to signs through the controller. In other words, the controller accumulates the energy during day time and sends it to signs at night time. So the controller is one of important parts in solar system. It is a beginning stage for solar system so it costs a lot to start up but it will be stable once it is set up as the electricity charge is be zero.
There are two types of solar system; One that solar energy is fully used and the other that is hybrid system using existing electricity when the storage battery is discharged. Each system is used for various types of signs such as for traffic signs or shops in building and both are eventually originated from eco-friendly.

ENDEAVORS TO REDUCE DISUSE

There are lots of disuses as sign market is big. To reduce disuses is also a way to devote to ecofriendly. Especially, disuses from sign industry cause many pollutants so designated company has to take the disposal. But many of sign shops are poor and having small sized offices so there are problems for them to keep wastes and it causes shops to dump wastes into the sinkhole, ground or with normal waste. So shops have to find how to reduce wastes.
One way to solve the waste problem, shops designate a certain area for waste and they share the disposal fee. They don't need to dump wastes illegally and can protect environment also.
Using durable parts is also a way for environment. If shops use durable consumables for their large format printing equipment, wastes will be less. Ink recycling system also helps shops reduce ink purchase and waste. Ink recycling system separates each ink colors through filtering.
Used inks are through recycling system before they go to waste bean by filtering each colors. Through recycling system, nearly most of inks can be reused. Ink manufacturers place promotions for their customers(sign shops using their inks) to collect ink wastes at free of charge and provide original inks.
Wastes recycling devotes to eco-friendly. Equipment can be collected and refurbished for sale or parts like plastic or metal are converted into new products such as hanger, car parts, toys, fence and so on. Tons of flex and banner wastes emit pollutants like dioxin during incineration and aren't degradable even if they are buried.
They cause serious environment pollution. There are companies who make rope or bags using those wastes. Still there are few applications to apply so using durable eco-friendly products is the best option shops take so far.

CONSIDERING HOW TO DUMP THAN WHAT TO USE

"Removing your makeup is important more than doing makeup." This is Ad copy that was so popular once. This is what sign shops must consider having eco-friendly era coming. As mentioned before, the reality is that sign shops still use exiting materials. Outdoor signs need a durability and ecofriendly materials are in inverse proportion to durability. Then the answer would be how to dump wastes in eco-friendly way. Active actions of sign shops to minimize environment pollution will be necessary. Shops have to try to use eco-friendly materials and throw wastes into designated place.
Eventually, eco-friendly isn't a big picture at all like developing new materials. Small actions change the whole in the end.
Recycling is the first consideration than disuse. It is burden anyway for small sign shops to use a designated company to clean wastes as the cost is quite expensive.
It must be illegal to dump wastes to undesignated area but on the other hand, it is understandable for poor shops. Therefore they have to find to minimize wastes by using highly recyclable materials. For example, flex signs can recycle the frame only when removal. If shops use steel or timbers, they can reuse and minimize wastes.
A sign shop who developed a recyclable sign said, "The important part of recyclable sign is that it doesn't give much burden regarding cost for sign shops to install. From the survey, we found that the ratio that shops change their business is over 50%. For them we developed detachable sign. It is separated 3 or 4 section so that shops can change the contents according to their business."