#324 - Kavalan on the Green Leader Awards, PVC-free print & measurable impact

If you’ve ever admired a huge billboard or a flawless event backdrop and wondered what it costs the planet to make it, this conversation goes straight to the uncomfortable bit the print industry often skips.  Speaking to Nova Abbott from Kavalan, the PVC-free materials brand known for “Be Clean Print Green”, one point came through clearly. The real test is not whether sustainability is mentioned at the end of a project, but whether it has shaped the thinking behind it. 

We unpack the Kavalan Green Leaders Awards and why they exist in the first place: to celebrate real-world print projects that combine creativity with delivered environmental responsibility. Nova shares what changed in year two, why clearer criteria matter, and what the judges are truly looking for, not just visual wow, but intent, execution and impact. We also dig into the new Green Spark Award and why getting students and early career creatives thinking about sustainable design at the concept stage can reshape the whole market over time. 

The discussion widens to the reality of events and short-lifespan graphics through the Clean Slate rethinking events documentary, built around a simple question: how much waste are we generating, and are we being honest about it? We also tackle common misconceptions about PVC-free banner materials, including performance, durability, cost and suitability, and where adoption is accelerating across regions. If you work in wide format print, signage, display graphics, brand marketing or event production, you’ll leave with practical ways to think about sustainable materials, measurable impact and collaboration across the supply chain. 

Clean Slate | Rethinking Events

Kavalan Green Leaders Awards

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the Future Print Podcast, celebrating print technology and the people behind it.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

So, good morning and welcome to this week's edition of the Future Print Podcast. Today I'm speaking with a company FuturePrint has known and worked with for quite some time. Kavilan is well known for its strong focus on sustainability in the large format print market, summed up by its strapline, Be Clean Print Green. It's BBC free banner materials and are widely used, which says a lot about how demand for sustainable print materials is growing. I'm very pleased to welcome Nova Abbott from Kavalan Printing. Nova, it's great to have you with us today.

SPEAKER_02 0:41

And Nova. Thank you for having me.

What Kavalan Does And Why

SPEAKER_01 0:43

No, pleasure. And Nova, it's lovely to speak to you and it's great to see you again. Today we'll be talking about Kavaland's Green Leaders Awards. But before we get into the awards themselves, perhaps you could start by telling us a little bit about yourself and a little bit about what Kavlan does.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Absolutely. Thank you. So I lead Global Marketing for Kavilan, which is a PVC-free materials brand from Taiwan under the Thailand groups. My role essentially sits at the intersection of product, market, and narrative. So not just how we bring materials to market, but also how we help the industry rethink what sustainability print actually means. So Cavolan was created, in case you didn't know, Kavan was created to change, to challenge really the defaults, because for decades, PBC has been the industry standard, not because it's the best option, but because it's the most familiar, which is why this one needs to be to be challenged. So we saw an opportunity to offer materials alternative that can remove the problem as source without asking the industry to compromise on performance. That was essentially it. So today I would say coverland seats slightly different differently in the market, not just because it's a product, but as part of the broader shift towards more accountable materials choices.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Fantastic. Thank you. And I think obviously sustainability now is more and more prevalent in the market, and people are talking about it a lot more. So this is really timely to talk about the Green Leaders Award. So today we're just going to go through what they are and what they're designed to do. So could you give us a little bit of background on what they are, what they're designed to recognize?

SPEAKER_02 2:40

Yeah, yeah, sure, absolutely. The wards are designed to recognize the real-world print projects that combines creativity, execution, and more importantly, the measurable environmental impact responsibility responsibility as well. So not just concepts, not just intentions, but real projects that have been actually been delivered. So they're open to print service providers, brands, designers. So essentially anyone involved in bringing a project to life using carbon materials.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Yeah, that's great because I remember being in London and seeing the big sort of billboard that was printed on your PVC free banners, which is great to see the projects in action and how they're being used in the marketplace today. Yes, yes, yes, yes. It was fantastic to see. And the awards have been running for quite some time now, haven't they? When did you first start running these awards? We oh well, this is our second year actually.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Yeah, so we started it last year because it was the time to shine the um spotlight to those great people who actually care, genuinely care, and also deliver um real projects.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Okay, and so from last year, so when they first came into the market, or when you first launched them back in 2025, how have they grown and how have they changed since then?

SPEAKER_02 4:19

Well, it's grown uh in many ways. Um I would have to say year one, I would say last year taught us something important. Um there's a lot of interest in sustainability, yeah, but there's still a gap between intention and execution. So for 2026, uh we have um therefore expanded the categories from five to six, and we also make um criteria a lot clearer and focus more on measurable impacts and also storytelling. So uh we also realized um from the experience last year is that people need permission to share imperfect progress, not just perfect projects. Um I mean that I, well, for example, we introduced uh Green Spark Awards, which is a new category that we uh introduced this year. It's a future-focused um category that invites students, apprentices, and early career creatives to design a conceptual print-based project that highlights how creativity and sustainability can coexist. So this category is about bold ideas, clear thinking, and also inspiring the next generations to um design responsibly from the very start of their careers. So um I would say this shows us more open, more inclusive, and more grounded in reality, but also encouraging future generations to get involved.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

And that's great. I think because if you can learn from past mistakes or you know issues that people come across within the industry, it's great to have that transparency, transparency across the board so that people can learn and move forward with projects. Um, and there are obviously other awards within the industry. What gap do you feel the Green Leaders Award would fill?

SPEAKER_02 6:13

All right. Um, well, many other awards um in the industry, but uh I would say most industry awards celebrated visual impacts or technical execution alone. Very, very few actually would ask what was the environmental cost of creating this? I think this is the fundamental question that I think we all need to ask. So that is the gap. We created the Coverland Green Leader Awards to bring sustainability into the definition of good work, not just an add-on. Because think about it, because if sustainability is always optional, then you will never become standards.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

Absolutely. And um touching on the market now, where do you see the wide format sectors heading when it comes to sustainability? What's changing, what's influencing it?

SPEAKER_02 7:07

I would say the the shift has started, um, but still a bit uneven. Um so far we're seeing um leading players moving really fast um and stick their ground and and just still continue despite the um well, the global uh financial um policy sort of the situation. And um, but we also see that most of the others are still waiting for the regulation for um you know to change and pressure and stuff. So um against all that or amongst all that, what we're also seeing uh something really encouraging, and that is conversation have changed though, because people are no longer just asking why sustainability all um is this material recyclable? Um we're seeing more people are actually asking, how do we do it properly? Um I think yeah, this is a big change and also very encouraging shift we are seeing.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

Okay, and you touched on the Green Spark Award, and I think that's a really important category. Um, can we go back to that really briefly and just sort of I'd like to ask you why? What sort of made you think, okay, we need to add that category? Um, who's it aimed at, and what do you hope it will encourage within the market as a whole?

Green Spark And Designing Early

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Well, many things really when we when we uh introduce this uh new awards category because the future of the industry is being shaped before people even enter it. So Green Spark Awards is really for, as I mentioned earlier, it was for students, for apprentices and early career creative. So um by creating this award, we want them to see sustainability not just a constraint, but as part of a creative starting point. So if you're embedded that mindset early, then well, you don't have to fix it later. So that, well, that's a psychology behind it all, really.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

Okay, so you're basically trying to encourage sustainability at the state the concept stage rather than seeing it simply as a material choice later in the process, I guess. Indeed, um, um, and alongside the awards, you were also part of the clean slate rethinking events film, which I saw Marcus shared it with me the other day. Um, what was your thinking behind the film? What does it reveal about the environmental reality of events as such? So just looking at the event side of things, I think that's quite a big issue within the industry, it's quite a wasteful um area, really, because people print for an event and then it obviously gets um hopefully recycled or thrown away. So, so how do you see that?

Rethinking Events Film And Waste

SPEAKER_02 9:51

Yeah, well, uh, first of all, thank you for bringing this up. Um I would highly recommend any of our audience who was listening um have listened to this podcast uh can go back and watch that um uh documentary um again, because um that was created out of love for the event industry. Um, because it was created by me, um, Claire Goodchild and Sarah Goodchild. We've been in the working in the event industry for most of our career, really. So um we we wanted to do it because this film um came from a very special point um from from our hearts. Um, as I said, we created out of love. And this film came from um all come from very simple question. Um, so um it was well, how much waste are we actually generating? And um nobody really was re-measuring it. And are we being honest about it, really? How you know, out of the waste that we created, because events are incredibly visual, but also incredibly waste heavy, as you just said. So what we found is that um, you know, by doing this, well, we knew anyway, like events is you know, short lifespan materials have been used a lot, um, with the limited reuse, reduced, and recycled have been top for um you know when when the events are created. So huge, huge volume of um discarded um waste um you know, post-events has been generated. So often um no one really takes ownership of it. Um and for the three of us, um, we just can't sit, you know, no longer can sit with it and then uh with a question that's you know really burning really loudly, and then um we we can't just sit with it and any longer. So we have to do some with it, something with it. Um and then we found those incredible people that um have been um discovery, it's a discovery sort of graduate discovery process for us, but those people who got involved with this documentary, and we, yeah, there's quite a lot of um like-minded people who are actually secretly uh doing uh what we well we didn't know. And it's also good to highlight those um concepts as well. So personally, um by doing this documentary, um, uh it shifted actually my perspective. It's made me realize that sustainability isn't just about doing less bad, it's about uh rethinking the system entirely and completely. Yeah.

How Far PVC Free Has Progressed

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Yes, and it's it's a fabulous film, a documentary. So I will link it in the notes, in the podcast notes below so people can watch it. Um, and I think uh an important point you touched on there is the measurement, being able to measure the impact that this all has on the environment. And Cavland has been part of the wider shift towards PVC-free materials. How far do you think that transition has really progressed across the market in sort of in real terms?

SPEAKER_02 12:41

Oh, great, good question. Um well with thought. Um I think we have moved past these early adopter stages now. I think PVC free is now proven, um covering is proven, and it's definitely um proven to be scalable and also commercially viable. But um adoption still depends on three very important factors, which is um, well, market maturity, um, which still got room to improve, and also the customer demand and also the regulatory pressure as well. So uh we're seeing some regions are moving quickly, not Europe, and others are still catching up and remain cautious of it for various reasons. So, yes, we are definitely in a transitional space, and well, not only, but it's well, not complete, uh not completed either. So it's a funny, funny phase that we're seeing, but it's uh I would like to say is progressing. Yeah.

Misconceptions About PVC Free Materials

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think education is a big part of this as well, and I think that's where that film documentary comes in as well. It's basically just talking about it, getting it out into the open, um, and talking about the solutions that are out there that may help progress. And um, what do you think the biggest misconceptions um people still have about PVC-free materials, especially around sort of the performance, the durability, um, and the suitability for the different applications? How do you see that?

SPEAKER_02 14:09

Um I would say three main ones and are popping to my mind really. Um, usually it comes down to number one, um more perception more than anything, not the actual performance. It doesn't perform well. Um, there was um one of the misconceptions because uh, well, it might be true um years and years ago, but not anymore. PVC grey materials is now proven, um, is totally scalable and is commercially viable, as I said. Um, and then that leads to the question number two. Um, one of the misconceptions would be it is too expensive. But again, it it's it's it's how you measure this, um how you define cost really. Because if you're looking at the overall um project cost, material really um is a very, very small part um the overall project. So yeah, that I would argue with that. And most people um again um didn't calculate the environmental cost into the overall um sort of cost. So if you think about it, it is not expensive at all if you if you if you come um play all the elements to it. Um and I'll say the third one would be um, okay, this is only applicable for certain locations. It's not. Um today, PVC3 covers most of the mainstream use cases. So a lot of banners that we're seeing in films and and many others as well. So in a nutshell, um, the reality we are facing is that the various today are more perception and not performance-based. That's what we're seeing now.

What Judges Want In Entries

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Okay, and I think that's again the shift towards you know, seeing more projects out there, seeing real life examples, and that leads us back to the um the awards. Um, from your perspective, what makes a strong award entry and what are the judges really hoping to see?

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Um I'll say all six awards um have clearly defined the judging criteria, and of which you can find it on the coverlandprinting.com on the award page. I would say the best entries um show three things um clearly. Um, and judging would be particularly looking into would be the intent. Um, why is this approach chosen and also execution? How was it delivered and executed? Um, and also more importantly, the impact um of it, what differences um um the project actually made? Um, the three biggest um uh factors I think the judges will be looking into. So, not just visually strong is important, of course, but it is um the thought-through process um that will be looked into. So we're not just looking at perfection, it's not never just perfection, um, but we're also looking for clarity and also honesty of the projects being delivered.

Collaboration Across The Supply Chain

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Okay, so um obviously there's going to be a lot of collaboration across supply chain um in delivering genuinely sustainable print projects. So, um how important do you see that collaboration?

Why Announce Winners At FESPA

SPEAKER_02 17:19

Oh, very, very important is not just on the on the um supply chains as well. We um this is also important, and what also uh what we have seen in well, but to the uh King Slate uh rethinking events as well, that uh that we've seen the same thing. Um collaboration is utterly, utterly important because it is not just delivered by one player alone. It cannot be played uh delivered by just one player alone. It requires alignment um between the brands, the agencies, printers, and material suppliers, really. So if any part of it um of the supply chain doesn't move, then the whole system slows down. So we are seeing the best projects that um are always always collaborative efforts, regardless um in our in our industry or in the events um industry. It always has been the case.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

Yeah, and I think um talking about events, you're going to present the awards live on the Cavaland Stand up FESPA this May. So we're looking forward to that. Um, what does it mean to celebrate them in that setting? And why do you think it's important to have that recognition visible in the heart of the industry? Because obviously a wide format show and and this is the right place. So why did you choose that?

SPEAKER_02 18:33

Well, very simple because FESPA is where the large format printing industry come together. Um, announcing the awards um there does two things. Um, it gives the visibility to the work and signals that um, well, sustainability belongs at the center of the industry, not on the side. So it's about making it visible, not niche. That is the whole point of it.

Making Sustainability Visible Through Awards

SPEAKER_01 18:58

So bringing it mainstream and making it sort of um visible, I'm assuming, to the to the whole market, like you say. Um what role can awards like this play in making good work more visible, but helping the industry learn from practical examples? So we're talking about shared learnings, raising the bar, that type of thing.

SPEAKER_02 19:21

Well, for us, yeah, awards can do more than just celebrate. Um, it can educate well, it's really serve a really good um educational part of it. Um, because by showing the real projects, we are actually demonstrating and make sustainability tangible. People need to see that. And it also provides a reference point as well to show people that you know it's not theory, it's delivered and it's proven. And it also raised the standard um collectively by having this one as well. So people don't change. That's the bottom line. People don't change because of theory. Um, people change because they see what is possible. So we, this is important. We need to show them what is possible.

What Success Looks Like Next

SPEAKER_01 20:03

Yes, absolutely. And I think sort of seeing it live and seeing what can be achieved is just so powerful. Um, and looking ahead, what does success look like for the Green Leaders Awards over the next few years? So, um, what are your ambitions for the awards? What kind of impact do you hope it'll have going forward? Um, question.

SPEAKER_02 20:26

Um for us. Um, I think success is not just about more entries um to the to the awards, really. For us, um success is um when sustainability becomes expected and not um exceptional, you know, become mainstream and um the awards are no longer special, just as um just part of how we evaluate um evaluate work. So ultimately um when we don't need to ask, um, you know, is this sustainable? Um the question slide that just because it's you know, when it's already built in, that's how we see the true definition of success, it really um really lies on because um it's built in and then it's part of us, and then we don't really ask about you know uh sustainability, you know, it's building in the system, that's how we see it.

SPEAKER_01 21:17

So basically from the start, so from start to finish. So thinking about it before you even start a project and realizing that that's the way they want to go.

unknown 21:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

Yeah, that's the ultimate, ultimate, autumn M. Um, I think we've got a way to go, but you know, it's a hope. Um we are doing it.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

Yes, and it's about talking about it and it's about showing the industry what's possible.

SPEAKER_02 21:37

Indeed, yeah. So you see that, yeah. Um with this um um podcast, I think more people can see that too.

Deadlines Links And Subscribe

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Excellent. Well, is there anything else you'd like to add on that, Nova? Or um have we concluded?

SPEAKER_02 21:52

Well, come and see us, come and see us, and just um, you know, um actually um things played, uh, rethinking events documentaries as well. No

SPEAKER_01 22:00

definitely open your eyes if you haven't already watched it um just needed to go back to it and also um I think yeah it's a collective effort and um we remain very hopeful for for the journey as um and yeah join us join us in this um I always say green re um you know revolutions and stuff but yeah join us uh we need more people um pay genuine genuine uh interest and care on on this subject absolutely and such an important topic um so I think that concludes today's podcast um and it's been such a pleasure speaking with you today Nova I think our listeners will find this really interesting and um I will include a link to the Green Leaders Award at the bottom of the podcast notes I'll include a link to the Green Slope documentary and just to remind listeners the deadline for the entries to the awards are the is the 12th of April I believe so if anyone's interested in entering please do. So thanks again for joining us and I look forward to seeing it FESPA on the 20th of May where we will be giving handing out the awards where the winners will be announced. So yes thank you everyone for listening and thank you Nova for joining us today. It's been such a pleasure to see you again.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

Thank you Elena cheers thank you for listening if you enjoyed this episode you can subscribe now for more great audio content coming up and visit futureprint.tech for the latest news partner interviews in depth industry research and to catch up on content from future print events. We'll see you next time on the Futureprint podcast