Environment
Green Printing News
| Saturday, 01 November 2008 13:05 |
Return to senderIf you make signs then you’ll be under mounting pressure to recycle. Through its implementation of the Robert Horne R3 Recycling System Allsignsgroup shows you how you can meet ‘green’ demands and make money into the bargain.“We are very proactive in terms of environmental responsibility and we point by starting talks with Robert Horne some time ago. They are a principle supplier of ours and we began talking about how we could be as responsible as each other. At first we asked about them taking back packaging materials and eventually we got to this dream scenario,” enthuses Allsignsgroup managing director Mike Freely. With mounting pressure across the signage industry to reduce waste, recycling is fast becoming an important part of the mix. “Customers are aware that they need to be seen as ‘greener, and they therefore expect their suppliers to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to help the environment. We, in turn, expect the same from our suppliers – we only talk to those who can prove they are as committed as us - it’s not just about cost,” adds Freely. Robert Horne’s R3 Recycling System hits the nail right on the head. Launched at Sign UK in April, the service is based on the simple principle of the company delivering environmentally friendly sign and display products and taking away a customer’s waste sign and display waste for recycling. Instigation of the scheme by Allsignsgroup was in part prompted by its decision to go for ISO14001 as it meant the group could clearly demonstrate a segregated waste-recycling scheme. Prior to the introduction waste was collected in 250kg wheelie bins, with around 12 bins a week were going to landfill at a cost of £150 per tonne. With an annual waste bill in excess of £30,000 there were sound financial reasons along with the environmental concerns to justify joining the free R3 Scheme. With R3, metal cages are used for collecting five different streams of waste: Dibond, Foamex, acrylics, general packaging and aluminium. The first three streams are collected via the R3 scheme. The council now deals with general packaging waste and the larger aluminium waste goes to specialist metal recyclers. And there’s more: the group is talking to its own customers about how it can help them recycle their waste directly from installations. “We are increasingly being asked to take away exhibition graphics by customers so the next step is to tell them we can dispose of their stands in a conscientious manner. We will probably collect the waste and bring it back to our site from where it will go through the R3 scheme and be recycled,” says Freely. At the moment, much of Allsignsgroup’s waste is signage offcuts and a certain amount of print wastage from its Scitex Vutek roll-to-roll printer and two Inca flatbeds. More print wastage will go to recycling once it starts taking in its customers’ graphics waste. Freely points out that the group (which is looking at many other ways to lessen its environmental impact such as monitors for electricity usage, office waste recycling, enhanced route planning for its installations teams and even an employee car sharing scheme) sees recycling as core to its business plan going forward. “R3 has provided an impetus for a change in culture at Allsignsgroup that we are now aligning through our overall CSR strategy,” ends Freely. What are you doing about recycling? Email and let us know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 
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