‘Tis the season for all things green as your sign customers look for more “earth friendly” products.
Peachtree City Foamcraft, the largest manufacturer of Foamcore Monument Signage, is dedicated to providing environmentally friendly products, and its Foamcore monument signs offer the green aspects clients want, while also providing a cost-effective product. The products are manufactured using an expanded polystyrene foam core; encapsulated in the company’s exclusive, plastic Poly-Armor ™ hardcoat; and finished with a light stucco sprayed texture to simulate concrete.
Other monument manufacturing techniques—such as traditional concrete monument signage, Dryvit, or Glass Fiber—offer a less expensive product, but are not considered earth friendly.
How can signage be earth friendly or green? The new ideology of “going green” means companies and end users alike are striving to utilize products that offer tangible environmental advantages that include energy efficiency, recycled content, localized distribution, and improved indoor air quality.
Peachtree City Foamcraft launched a green initiative in late 2011 to educate their sign shop clients on the earth-friendly benefits of their Foamcore monument signage. Here are some of the highlights:
- Moisture Resistance: A study by the Energy Materials Testing Lab (EMTL) has shown that expanded polystyrene products do not absorb appreciable moisture, even under characteristics of prolonged, cold and damp winters.
- Temperature Cycling & Environmental Impact: Peachtree City Foamcraft manufactures its monument signage using inert materials made of petroleum and natural gas by-products and has designed their signs to withstand the abuse of temperature cycling, ensuring long-term performance.
- Resource Efficient and Recyclable: Foamcore Signage is relatively lightweight so it uses less energy, therefore creating less pollution than traditional concrete signage. EPS (the foam in “Foamcore”) is 100 percent recyclable and landfill safe, and it does not produce methane gas or contaminating leechates.
While green products can be measured by evaluating a variety of components and using a range of techniques, an emphasis has been placed on the environmental impact of the product and the true ability to effectively recycle any byproduct of the manufacturing process.
“We are very proud to say that we have employed a successful recycling process in all three of our facilities,” says Michael Fetter, national sales manager for Peachtree City Foamcraft. “We recycle 100 percent of our EPS scrap from our manufacturing process, which is then incorporated into other consumer/industrial products—local to each of our respective manufacturing plants.”
Peachtree City Foamcraft is not alone; several other manufacturers who utilize Expanded Polystyrene foam in their products have employed similar programs, doing their part in lessening the impact that manufacturing their product has on the environment.
When you are suggesting signage solutions to your clients this spring, be sure to take into consideration the green aspects of the products you are using, as well as how you can help to lessen your carbon imprint on the world.
Note: Signage is not a current category measured by Energy Star – a joint program of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.
For more information contact Peachtree City Foamcraft toll free at 1-877-862-0840 or visit us online at www.foamcraft.info.
All photos courtesy of Peachtree City Foamcraft.
