Eco-Friendly Signage

Most signage is sold on how it looks, not what happens to it afterwards. If recyclability matters to your business, the material matters more than the label on the marketing — so this page sets out what each of our substrates actually is, and which ones can be recycled once the campaign is over.

Our corrugated plastic signage is polypropylene, plastic identification code 5. It is a single-polymer sheet, which is what makes it recyclable in principle — kerbside acceptance of rigid polypropylene varies between councils, so check locally before you bin a large run. Our fabric banners are printed by dye sublimation onto polyester and contain no PVC, and because the graphic is dyed into the cloth rather than laminated on top, a fabric skin can be reprinted and the frame reused indefinitely.

Which material to choose

Material	Single polymer	Typical outdoor life	Best for
Corrugated plastic (corflute)	Yes — polypropylene, code 5	6–12 months	Short-run outdoor signs, real estate, events, site signage
Fabric banner (dye sublimation)	Yes — polyester, PVC-free	Indoor, reusable for years	Media walls, exhibitions, anything reused across events
PVC foam board	No — expanded PVC	2–5 years indoor	Longer-life indoor signage where rigidity is needed

How to specify a sign you can actually recycle

Four things make the difference, and all four are decided at order time rather than afterwards.

• Avoid laminates. A gloss or matt laminate bonds a second polymer to the face and turns a single-material sheet into a mixed one.
• Avoid mixed substrates. A corflute panel screwed to an aluminium frame has to be separated by hand before either part can go anywhere useful.
• Skip adhesive backing where a freestanding or fixed sign will do the same job.
• Reprint the skin, keep the frame. For anything used more than once, a fabric graphic on a reusable frame produces far less waste over its life than repeated one-piece signs.

Printing and delivery

Everything here is printed at our own factory in Derrimut, Melbourne, and dispatched within 24 hours. Free pickup from the factory if you are local, flat-rate shipping Australia wide, and a free artwork pre-flight check on every order before anything goes to press — which also means fewer reprints.

Common questions

Is corflute recyclable?

The sheet itself is polypropylene, plastic code 5, and is recyclable as a single polymer. Whether your kerbside service accepts it depends on your council — larger runs are usually better taken to a dedicated plastics drop-off.

Can a printed fabric banner be recycled?

It is PVC-free polyester, so it is a single polymer, but printed textiles are not accepted kerbside. The larger saving is reuse: reprint the skin and keep the hardware.

What about the ink?

Fabric is dye sublimated, so the colour becomes part of the fibre rather than a separate coating sitting on the surface.

Which is the greenest option for outdoor use?

For a single short campaign, unlaminated corflute. For anything you will run more than once, a fabric graphic on a reusable frame, because you replace only the printed panel.

Do you print on recycled material?

Our corflute is virgin polypropylene — we would rather be accurate about that than claim recycled content we cannot evidence. The recyclability is in the material being a single polymer and unlaminated.

Related: corrugated plastic signs, fabric banners, A-frame signs.