SustainSign™ is our committed approach to eco-sustainable
whole-of-life signage manufacturing.
All with no higher cost and no less lifespan.
Adopting and adhering to global ECOLOGO® and GREENGUARD certifications, Artcraft’s innovative SustainSign™ products are engineered to advance sustainable materials, sustainable manufacturing and sustainable end-of-life for road and infrastructure signage.
Building on Artcraft’s 75-year heritage for innovation, SustainSign™ incorporates a holistic approach to the sourcing of materials, low impact manufacturing and an ease of recycling to delivering eco-sustainable signage solutions.
SustainSign™ draws from multiple innovative new green technologies to implement a world-first sustainable manufacturing process that supports our commitment to eliminate the use of hazardous solvent chemicals for static reflective signs.
Exclusive to Artcraft, SustainSign™ is attributed with rock-solid global eco and green certifications and accreditations that are the embodiment of sustainable credentials. We are also Australia’s only 3M Eco Diamond Certified Manufacturer for road and infrastructure signage.
> Sustainable eco-materials.
Industry-leading eco-sustainable and recyclable materials.
Better performance. Less manugacturing energy. The least of emissions.
Eliminating the use of toxic solvent chemicals with water-based ink technology.
- SustainSign™ employs water-based latex ink chemistry. (Unlike solvent or UV inks that are classified as pollutant, toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic, sensitizing and corrosive.)
- The SustainSign™ ink pigments are similar in composition to cosmetics.
- Odourless and no-hazard latex technology also provides safe working environments.
Combined with the use of recyclable substrate materials, SustainSign™ embodies our commitment to eliminating hazardous toxic and volatile constituents from our signage manufacturing production.
This is achieved by the application of new-generation materials that eliminate the use of solvents and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from our processes. VOCs can emit gases that pose both short and long-term health risks.
Our partnering of 3M’s industry-leading retroreflectivity materials, together with HP’s new origination water-based ink technology, not only achieves certified eco outcomes but delivers significantly brighter product performance. So much so that we offer up to 12 years full replacement warranty.* Ensuring long-term peace-of-mind performance.
> Sustainable green manufacturing.
A commitment to transition beyond our current sustainability practices
towards a 95% green workplace.
Artcraft, as part of Jason Group. have long recognised the importance of using recycled metals for the construction of our infrastructure and safety signage. It has been part of our mantra for over 75 years and we already incorporate regular measurements of energy consumption, water usage, waste elimination and emissions in our manufacturing processes.
Now with SustainSign™, our pledge to sustainability has evolved further with the commitment to constituting 95% of our workplaces to be classified as green.
In this process, we will retire old solvent-based printing methods in favour of more sustainable printing approaches employing water-based latex inks. Our commitment includes the usage of post-consumer recycled plastics for parts and equipment, which are then recycled back, creating a closed-loop process that includes traceability and accountability throughout the supply chain.
All of this is destined to take place in our own sustainable, non-hazardous green workplaces, where our manufacturing teams are expert on best practices around sustainability.
> Sustainable end-of-life.
Achieving accountability beyond traditional energy-intensive recycling.
The responsible recycling of end-of-life steel, aluminium and corflute to reuse, reprint and repurpose, is already a given with SustainSign™.
Continuous improvement is part of Artcraft’s source code. And with SustainSign™, we have an energy efficient end-of-life accountability that fosters a circular economy.
SustainSign™ also focuses on energy efficiency and zero contamination with every aspect of our end-of-life processes.
To this end, SustainSign™ reduces the high level of carbon impacts created with by use of traditional high heat furnaces to burn off old style toxic graphic inks. SustainSign™ allows high pressure water to remove the latex water-based based inks. Whereby no harmful chemicals, or their residual harmful solvents and VOCs, escape into the environment or enter the water stream.
SustainSign™ end-of-life process will allow for the ease of recycling that has the least impact on the environment.
Rock-solid certifications.
In a world where unregulated green washing is prevalent, SustainSign™ certifications and accreditations are the gold standard of environment sustainability and safety. These include –
UL 2801 ECOLOGO certification indicates that a product has been rigorously tested to comply with environmental performance standards throughout its life-cycle. The criteria for this voluntary certificate cover a range of categories, including health and environment, and product performance and use. You may see the green and white UL 2801 ECOLOGO badge on inks, such as the most recent generation of water-based latex inks, as used by SustainSign™.
The Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Foundation (ZDHC) has compiled a list of substances that are banned from intentional use during production of synthetic products, to improve air, water, and production itself in these sectors. This directory—the Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (ZDHC MRSL)—includes VOCs and problematic dyes to heavy metals and phthalates. Latex inks, as used by SustainSign™, conform to or meet the standards of the ZDHC MRSL version 1.1, demonstrating an effort to reduce the environmental impact. ZDHC’s Roadmap to Zero program is a multi-stakeholder organization, which sees major brands, value chain affiliates, and associates working collaboratively to improve chemical management practices.
UL 2818 GREENGUARD GOLD relates to air emissions. The certification body, UL, notes that most people’s chemical exposure occurs through the air we breathe, via the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in building materials. VOC levels in the inks that sport the GREENGUARD GOLD badge have the lowest in the industry. Latex inks, as used by SustainSign™, have this certification at the highest level.
A powerful new certification beyond the existing 3M™ Diamond Certified Manufacturer. Specifically intended for road and infrastructure sign manufacturers with a commitment to use sustainable materials in manufacture and end of life. This commitment includes the use a minimum of 70% latex water-based latex inks and that when replacing a sign on a road network, the reflective sheeting stripped and the aluminium is melted down and recycled. Furthermore, at end-of-life, signs digitally printed with latex water-based inks are pressure washed to remove the ink, thereby reducing the reliance of carbon impacts using traditional high heat furnaces to burn off graphics. This 3M™ Eco DCM Green Manufacturer certification provides owners secure knowledge that the sign manufacturer prioritises the environment without compromising on performance.
Energy Star is a symbol denoting energy efficiency. It is a government-backed American program—recognised by 90% of US households, according to its research—but its blue logo is also known by consumers across the world. It independently tests all kinds of commercial and domestic technology, from air conditioners to washing machines to select latex printers, as used by SustainSign™, for their ability to deliver energy savings without reducing performance. This may mean cost savings for signage print businesses.
EPEAT covers printers, plus products like computers and TVs, and assesses their environmental performance across several life cycle criteria to award them gold, silver, or bronze certifications. Manufacturers must sign a contract self-declaring which of the program’s criteria their products meet. The information is accessible via an online registry, allowing customers or resellers to compare printing solutions based on their environmental credentials. Latex low-volume systems, as used by SustainSign™, have achieved an EPEAT grading
ISO 14001 is the internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems (EMS). By adhering to ISO 14001 standards, Artcraft and Jason take proactive measures to minimize our environmental footprint, complies with relevant legal requirements to achieve our environmental objectives. This encompasses various aspects, from resource usage and waste management to monitoring environmental performance and involving stakeholders in environmental commitments.
ISO 45001 is an international standard for occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS). It provides a structured framework to help organizations create a safe and healthy workplace by proactively improving occupational health and safety (OH&S) performance.
For more information on SustainSign™ simply get in contact. 1300 765 653.
Artcraft is proudly 100% Australian owned with eight branches across the country. We are vertically integrated and manufacture locally with an absolute commitment to innovation and quality.
