Ecobanner: super-large format PVC-free banners for outdoor advertising

We spoke to GALE Pacific about its cost-effective PVC-free solution for outdoor advertising, which delivers the durability of comparable PVC fabrics at up to 50% less weight, and reduced disposal costs of up to 60%.

Ecobanner, unlike traditional PVC and other PVC-free banner fabrics, is a non-composite product made entirely of polypropylene. Despite its lightweight nature at just 190gsm, Ecobanner boasts the strength of a comparable 400gsm PVC fabric.

It delivers the durability of comparable PVC fabrics at up to 50% less weight. PVC can be expensive to dispose of in landfill. By working with recycling partners that value the high-quality raw materials in Ecobanner, we have been able to reduce disposal costs of Ecobanner by up to 60% at end of life.  

This significant advancement in material strength and durability is the result of years of dedicated research in collaboration with universities (such as Deakin University) and government agencies (Sustainability Victoria), combined with the extensive knowledge and expertise of GALE Pacific’s own R&D team.

Sustainable but commercially viable

In developing Ecobanner, the R&D team at GALE Pacific focused on three primary objectives to ensure the product's performance would meet industry expectations.

Firstly, they sought to enable Ecobanner to facilitate closed-loop recycling, a critical factor in reducing environmental impact. Secondly, they aimed to ensure that Ecobanner would present value relative to PVC throughout the entire supply chain, which required the development of a product that was not only sustainable but also commercially viable. Lastly, they concentrated on creating a product that met the performance characteristics demanded by industry partners—specifically, Ecobanner needed to be durable, lightweight, and capable of delivering a high-quality print finish using both UV cured and latex inks. It has a two-year outdoor warranty, and comparable strength to a 400gsm PVC at half the weight.

The development of Ecobanner was not an overnight success. GALE Pacific’s journey towards closed-loop recycling began in 2015, driven by a growing focus on the environmental benefits it could deliver. Ecobanner itself was born out of a consultation with partners in the out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry in late 2022, leveraging GALE Pacific's expertise in closed-loop recycling. From the initial consultation, the development process took approximately six months, culminating in the debut of Ecobanner during the FIFA Women’s 2023 World Cup at the Glebe Island Silos in Sydney—the largest OOH site in Australia, featuring a billboard that spans 130 meters in length.

Ecobanner distinguishes itself as the only Australian-made, PVC-free banner fabric capable of 100% closed-loop recycling. This unique feature has led to widespread acceptance within the Australian OOH industry, notably with oOh!media—one of the country’s leading OOH advertising agencies—adopting Ecobanner as the default product for compatible large-format billboards.

Sarah Young, the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Director at oOh!media, emphasised the importance of such closed-loop recycling solutions, stating that Ecobanner is pivotal in the industry’s efforts to remove waste and reduce environmental impact by cutting down on landfill.

Breakthrough technology

The sustainability credentials of Ecobanner have also been recognised on an international stage. In June 2024, Ecobanner was awarded the Sustainability Award at the World Out of Home Organization (WOO) Awards in Hong Kong, with oOh!media accepting the accolade. WOOis the only global Out of Home association working to promote and improve the OOH industry on behalf of its members. and this recognition underscores the significance of Ecobanner’s contribution to sustainable practices. The prize was awarded to “a supplier or Out of Home company that has developed a company initiative, a new product and/or a breakthrough technology, that pushes our Industry forward in the area of sustainability”.

Australia was an ideal location for the development of Ecobanner, given GALE Pacific's deep roots in the country. Established in 1951, the company operates one of its world-class manufacturing facilities in Australia, and its R&D team is headquartered there as well.

Leveraging nearly 50 years of development experience and the expertise of in-house professionals, GALE Pacific has been able to produce coating formulations that are tailored to meet the precise performance, function, and application requirements of their fabrics. Furthermore, sustainable products like Ecobanner have been made possible through longstanding partnerships with world-leading research organisations and government agencies (Deakin and Sustainability Victoria), all of which are based in Australia.

As Ecobanner gains traction in the Australian market, there is increasing interest from international stakeholders. With the product having been available for nine months in Australia, GALE Pacific is now in discussions with industry partners to explore opportunities for introducing Ecobanner to global markets.

Ecobanner is designed to meet the sustainability goals of GALE Pacific and those of its clients. The fabric is free from harmful substances such as lead, phthalates, BPA, BPS, and PFAS, and it is designed for 100% closed-loop recycling. Closed-loop recycling is vital for reducing environmental footprints as it avoids landfill, and produces high-quality recycled materials that can be repurposed into the same product. In contrast, open-loop recycling merely delays landfill by creating lower-quality materials that have limited reuse potential, such as park benches that cannot be recycled further. By addressing the OOH industry’s concerns around sustainable manufacturing, Ecobanner aligns with the global trend of removing non-recyclable plastics from supply chains. Additionally, printers and media agencies within the OOH industry are increasingly adapting to the demand for environmentally responsible products, making Ecobanner an attractive option for businesses looking to differentiate and grow.

The manufacturing process for Ecobanner is also designed with sustainability in mind. Unlike the production of PVC, which generates toxic carcinogens and by-products such as vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), the production of Ecobanner avoids these hazardous residues, making it a cleaner alternative. Moreover, GALE Pacific recycles 100% of the polypropylene waste generated during the manufacturing process, further minimising its environmental impact.

Closing the loop

GALE Pacific is also implementing a takeback programme in Australia, collaborating with industry partners including Sustainable Plastics Solutions in Victoria to facilitate the recycling of Ecobanner. By actively participating across the supply chain, GALE Pacific ensures that Ecobanner can be reintegrated into their manufacturing stream at the quality required to replace virgin raw materials, thus enabling a closed-loop solution. The product is put back into our manufacturing stream through coatings such as the grey-backed front-lit Ecobanner and other coated products manufactured by GALE Pacific. The recyclate meets the requirements to replace virgin raw materials in our manufacturing process. 

Sustainability has been a cornerstone of GALE Pacific’s business model for many years. Since 2001, when the company first began replacing PVC in its grain tarps, there has been a continuous push towards greener solutions. Recent sustainability initiatives include the execution of a closed-loop recycling solution for grain tarps in Australia using GALE Pacific’s Landmark® grain covers, which are widely regarded as the industry standard. This initiative will reduce waste by allowing used grain tarps to be recycled back into the same product repeatedly. Additionally, GALE Pacific has installed 27,000 square feet of solar panels at its Ningbo manufacturing facility in China—a project that took a year and a half to complete and is expected to save 166.6 tonnes of coal annually (or approximately 340 tonnes of CO2e emissions).

The company's commitment to sustainability is further demonstrated by the GREENGUARD and OEKO-TEX certifications held by its knitted fabrics division, and the recent GREENGUARD Gold certification awarded to its coated fabrics division in Australia.

GALE Pacific continues to lead the way in developing sustainable, high-performance materials like Ecobanner, supporting both environmental goals and the needs of businesses in the OOH advertising industry. Through these efforts, GALE Pacific is not only enhancing its own sustainability credentials but intends to help drive the entire industry towards a more responsible and sustainable future.