Cheltenham based Embrace Building Wraps have installed the UK’s first PVC-free printed scaffold wrap in partnership with Grosvenor Estate.
As one of the UK’s leading printed building & scaffold wrap project management companies Embrace Building Wraps have been working extremely hard to find an effective & durable PVC-free solution for their Clients.
The company’s persistence has now paid off, working closely with CMYUK – the UK’s largest independent supplier of large format digital printers, cutting equipment and materials. The credible answer moving forward is Kavalan’s Sunlight frontlit eco-friendly substrate for many of the projects delivered for their clients.
The UK launch partner is Grosvenor Estate down at Newson’s Yard, a high-quality retail and residential development located in Belgravia, London. The location will have a steel façade retention system and access scaffold in place for the duration of the project. Currently one of the two digitally printed scaffold wraps is in place to conceal the temporary structure.
The UK’s first non-PVC digitally printed scaffold wrap measures 26m wide & 4.5m high and carries high-resolution photography of a Rabanna print on cotton supplied by Fermoie, creators of beautiful and original fabrics with a local store on the Pimlico Road.
Greg Forster, MD at Embrace, said “Together with our two organisations respect the environment and are always on the lookout for fresh innovative solutions. The distinctive design on the wrap is pixel-perfect, masking the scaffold whilst maintaining a delightful streetscape for the community during the build. We lead, others follow!”
As a business Embrace continue to investigate ways to protect the environment and reduce waste, having started off in 2017 with the unique Banner Karma initiative for upcycling clients’ spent solid PVC banners into the agricultural sector.
Embrace is now able to offer clients PVC-free printed building and scaffold wraps. The goal is to reduce reliance on PVC and move to more sustainable printable media solutions as the sector’s leader in environmental positivity.
Successful in-house testing has been concluded on print quality to ensure that the material delivers the same visual appearance & manufacturing process with heat and vibration welding. To ensure the structural integrity of the material Embrace have conducted pull tests to ensure that the material is robust.
The results were that the PVC-free banners can withstand up to 774 kg on average, suitable for the considerable stresses Mother Nature throws at their bespoke installs over the four seasons.
The materials have passed fire tests reports in the UK with SGS a UKAS certified fire test centre for both in its natural state off the roll and with cured inks to BS 5867 Type B. The manufacturer of the eco-friendly Kavalan textile also has supporting fire test reports to the EN13501-1 and DIN 4102-1 standard.
The PVC-free banners are suitable for indoor and outdoor use as a solid flexible print substrate, constructed from a 56% polyester scrim and a 44% PA water-based coating. The great news is that Embrace will still send the material to be repurposed and then – even when the second life of the wrap is over – the material can be sent for energy-from-waste disposal.
Embrace Building Wraps: www.embracebuildingwraps.co.uk
