Green fabric demand rising in Kerala

The Kerala state government’s blanket ban on the use of PVC flex for advertising and publicity in the state has been a setback for the OOH business, but the industry players are looking at alternative, green options. A Shiva Texyarn spokesperson told Media4Growth that the demand for eco-friendly material is growing at a rapid 300% in Kerala. Printers and dealers had stocked up PVC flex before the ban was enforced. Those players are turning to green options, so the volume of demand for the alternative materials will pick up pace.

Shiva Texyarn sees growing market opportunities in the city of Bengaluru where the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Outdoor Signage & Public Messaging ByLaws 2018 has been implemented with the clear mandate for use of green material for branding and promotion.

However, the demand for eco-friendly material is largely limited to the states where there are stringent norms governing the media. Manish Taneja, Director of Taneja Technocom points out the they have not been able to leverage the opportunities in the southern markets as the local players tend to source the materials from suppliers operating in the same region.

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Both the solution providers maintain that state governments and civic bodies play a pivotal role in increasing the usage of green material in the OOH advertising. Having said that, both echo the viewpoint that calling a ban on PVC Flex isn’t enough as there is also a need to clarify the specifications of the alternate media. “Government should give clear direction to use 100% cotton / paper materials which are biodegradable in nature. If it has the space for polyester again there is a concern over waste accumulation and recycling difficulties,” said the Shiva Texyarn spokesperson.

“The steps taken by the state government are much appreciated but there is also a need for the authority to have deeper knowledge about the green material which are available in the market,” added Manish.

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