Packaging waste powers Visionary’s circular signage

Australian signage company Visionary has launched a recycling program that not only addresses the industry’s reliance on PVC but also creates a new end market for packaging waste, turning used cartons and plastics into durable building materials.

Through the Visionary Green program, businesses can replace traditional PVC self-adhesive signage with Visionary’s PVC-free materials. Importantly, the program also provides a collection system for used signage, which is then recycled into GBoard – an engineered panel developed with circular building materials manufacturer saveBoard.

Made locally from a mix of post-consumer signage, beverage cartons and soft plastics, GBoard demonstrates how packaging waste streams can be integrated into construction products, creating value beyond their first life.

“Until now, signage waste has almost always gone to landfill. With Visionary Green and GBoard, we’re proving that every sign can have a second life,” said Tom Matthews, managing director of Visionary.

“The program was created to provide a practical, industry-wide solution. GBoard demonstrates what’s possible when signage waste is diverted from landfill and given a new purpose.”

Paul Charteris, CEO of saveBoard, said the collaboration extends the company’s mission to transform difficult-to-recycle packaging into commercially viable products.

“saveBoard’s mission is to transform waste into high-performance building products,” Charteris said.

“Working with Visionary and the Visionary Green program to create GBoard allows us to extend this mission into the signage industry – a sector that has long needed a circular solution.”

Each GBoard panel diverts about 25kg of mixed post-consumer waste from landfill, cutting carbon emissions while creating a recyclable, plywood-alternative board. With operations in New Zealand and Australia, saveBoard already recycles liquid paperboard cartons and plastics from partners such as Tetra Pak and SIG, demonstrating the potential for packaging to re-enter the economy through new material streams.

For the packaging sector, initiatives like this highlight the importance of building demand for recycled content across industries – from food and beverage through to construction – as Australia seeks to accelerate progress on its national packaging targets and circular economy goals.