Corplex unveils closed loop recycling system for outdoor advertising

Corplex, the manufacturer of Correx, has partnered with Global Media and The Delta Group to create an innovative closed loop recycling system for out of home (OOH) media. At the centre of the project is Corplex’s new multi million pound deinking facility at its Gloucester site.

The system is designed for outdoor signage mounted on the sides of London buses, made from polypropylene (PP) Correx board. Traditionally, printed vinyl was glued onto the boards, which were reused two to three times. Once they reached end of life, the boards were incinerated or sent to landfill – creating non recyclable waste and a higher carbon footprint.

Now, the new closed loop system allows direct returns of the printed Correx boards, post advertising campaign, back to Corplex’s Gloucester site after each campaign. There the boards are shredded, washed and recycled into clean, high whiteness PP flakes. These are then re-extruded into new boards with up to 70% recycled content.

‘This is a world first for printed PP boards and moves the needle on closed loop recycling,’ said Corplex CEO Lucas van der Schalk. ‘The level of investment we have made in our unique deinking facility is fully justified when you look at the results. Partnering with Global and The Delta Group demonstrates how collaboration can make a sustainable difference.’

The mechanical deinking system is the engine behind the project; one that fully closes the loop while making significant CO2 savings. The process reduces carbon emissions by over 500 tonnes annually, cutting the footprint by 80%. This is the equivalent to 1200 one way flights from London to New York, or removing 110 cars from the road each year.

Lucas van der Schalk added, ‘The shift toward reusable, recyclable substrates is no longer about feasibility – it is about adoption. When combined with high efficiency deinking, polypropylene offers the clearest path to circularity in printed signage.

‘Stakeholders – from advertisers and agencies to municipalities – must now evaluate signage not just on print quality and durability, but also on total lifestyle impact and recyclability infrastructure.’

Global is one of the UK’s leading outdoor media companies with an extensive portfolio that includes Transport for London’s Underground network, as well as the UK’s largest network of buses in major towns and cities across the UK. The Delta Group supplies OOH content in print and digital formats for applications onto billboards, bus sides, train stations and a wide range of other media locations.

Global Media’s sustainability goals include an ambition to reduce carbon emissions and demonstrate transparency for its targets. The Delta Group’s mission is to make a positive contribution to the environment by embedding sustainable practices into their clients’ communications as well as improving its own business practices.

Corplex is also working with partners across several packaging and other applications which will enable its Correx boards and AkyPak packaging and containers to be captured within a closed loop system. Here, the process will be the same as with the OOH media project, with returns being shredded, washed and recycled into new Correx sheets, delivering the many sustainability benefits to other sectors.