From Billboards to Bags: AdVinylize Repurposes Advertising Waste

Jun 1, 2010 12:30 PM ET

From Billboards to Bags: AdVinylize Repurposes Advertising Waste

A large part of our visual environment is composed of billboards, with a limited life span and which ultimately end up in the landfill. But now they can be turned into headturning accessories, thanks to this unique company.

One big selling point of billboard ads is their ability to be seen by just about anyone, and they last a long time. But what about the downside? For companies that create or commission billboard advertisements, once the campaign is over, the after product is 85 pounds of used vinyl, which for all intents and purposes is useless. Unless it gets repurposed, that is.

AdVinylize takes these used, dirty, vinyl billboard ads and transforms them into a unique promotional product: bags of all shapes and sizes, made from the leftovers of billboard advertising campaigns that have run their course.

The president of promotional products manufacturer Your Promo Place, Sue Rigler, says that she became increasingly shocked by the disposable nature and waste generated through all of the promotional products produced by her industry.

"Many of the products sourced in our industry are a huge problem for the landfills. I think about this when presenting options to my clients and always offer responsible choices."

So she developed the AdVinylize line, with the intent of bringing high quality, effective and affordable products to a disposable industry, and reducing waste at the same time by reusing a premium resource.

Companies that are conscious of their environmental image have a need for branded, sustainable promotional products - products that could appropriately demonstrate a company's commitment to the environment by reusing that same company's own advertising materials to reduce their contribution to the waste stream.

AdVinylize can transform a company’s own billboard vinyl into durable promotional products to give away at their next event, or, if they don’t have their own material, can use other billboard vinyl to create products that coordinate that company’s brand colors. They will arrange everything from the pickup of the vinyl to the manufacture and delivery of the finished goods.

From messenger bags and grocery totes to insulated cooler bags, wine totes, and checkbook covers, AdVinylize has a range of products that can be made from these old billboard ads. The number of items that can be made from each one depends on the products, as they take differing amounts of materials.

According to AdVinylize, the billboard vinyl is resistant to UV, rain, snow, wind and heat, which means that the goods made from them will probably survive anything that the average user could put them through. And one single billboard goes a long way - each one is big enough for 100 grocery totes!

So if you’re thinking of giving away promo products for your next event, consider getting in touch with the folks over at AdVinylize. They’ll help you back up your company’s commitment to sustainability, while providing a truly unique product.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behavior on our website, through our Greenopolis recycling kiosks and with curbside recycling programs.

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