The Fallacy of Biodegradable Graphic Materials

We often hear from clients of the need for us to print graphics on "biodegradable" materials. In fact one of our Vancouver-based graphic competitors has information on their website showing a scientific study that highlights the biodegradable properties of their banner material. I spend a great deal of my time educating purchasers about the "green washing" that is going on in our industry. A really fascinating snippet from "The Garbage Project" by W.L. Rathje highlights the fallacy of Biodegradable materials:

"Another set of findings from the Garbage Project's digs underscores, especially for the public, the need to recycle and compost materials to keep them out of refuse. Many people have assumed that organic materials, such as newspapers, simply biodegrade in landfills. The recovery of 2,425 datable, readable newspapers from landfill excavations dramatically changed that view, especially since the relative proportion of newspapers varied little between materials deposited anywhere from five to forty years before exhumation and in environments which received anywhere between 11 and 80 inches of rain a year. The one exception was Fresh Kills Landfill that was started in 1948 when refuse was deposited in a tidal swamp on Staten Island with no liner. Under these conditions, refuse layers from the late 1940s and from the 1950s are now largely devoid of organic materials, including newspapers."

THE GARBAGE PROJECT & "THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF US" by W.L.Rathje

 

The focus of manufacturers should be on recycling of materials and not trying to convince clients that they will biodegrade in a landfill. Clearly, if newspapers did not degrade anywhere from five to fourty years, how can we expect graphic printing materials to do so quicker. The Portables is working on solutions that are based on scientific research that try and keep materials out of the landfill. I will keep you informed as to how we are progressing.

Coloring Forecast

Courtesy of Event Design Magazine Wednesday, October 15, 2008

 

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Ask Landor Associates design director/Color Marketing Group president Jack Bredenfoerder about colors and get comfortable—the man knows his stuff. The Color Marketing Group boasts hundreds of member designers from all over the planet who meet regularly to share ideas and observations, and to forecast color trends years—not months—in advance.

This year alone, Bredenfoerder has traveled to India, Spain, Montreal, and Buenos Aries to talk color trends with designers in fields like fashion, retail, and branding.  

"I think we're seeing a return of more basic colors from what we've seen in the past," he says. "I'm personally seeing a shift from some of the secondary colors to more of the primary colors again."

The hottest hues? The return of yellow and blue are a big story in the color world, as they're both coming on very strong in different ways than they have in the past. The perfect example is Yves Klein blue, a very intense ultramarine blue reminiscent of the color the earth appears when viewed from space.

"It's a very unifying blue and I think it's good to have a good basic blue that makes a statement rather than the more muted blues we've had in the past," Bredenfoerder says.

Yellow's big comeback is also on the horizon, with experts already seeing its return in fashion.

"There's been a lot of black and white and gray in fashion, and there has always been an accent color. Yellow seems to be the hot one right now and it makes sense, especially with blue returning because it's a nice accent for blue," Bredenfoerder says.

The reemergence of these two classic colors is coming from a more honest approach to design and color, and is a sign that people are getting back to basics.

Bredenfoerder's advice for integrating these colors into events and environments is to first connect with attendees on a more emotional or intuitive basis. First focus on the message and story a brand is trying to get across to consumers and look at what colors are going to tell that story well, then tie in some of the trend colors to give an event space a little different look.

"We're at a point in time that's about to shift. I think you are going to see a relatively dramatic shift in color in the year ahead," Bredenfoerder says.

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