The deal is effective immediately and the Shrewsbury-based wide-format specialist described the material as “an industry game-changer that will seriously disrupt the traditional PVC banner market”.
The company said Kavalan replicates the look and feel of PVC, has the strength of PVC and welds like PVC, but unlike traditional PVC it is specifically designed for responsible end–of–life–disposal.
The phthalate-free product features a biodegradable coating and also weighs up to 50% less than traditional PVC banner, which significantly reduces carbon emissions during transportation.
CMYUK said that in tests of Kavalan carried out by global welding manufacturers FIAB and Miller Weldmaster, the results of tear strength and weldability tests were equal to, if not better than, traditional PVC banner.
CMYUK group director Robin East said the deal “completely matches” the company's mandate to offer the UK’s digital wide-format printing industry a wide variety of environmentally responsible materials.
He told Printweek: “If you look at our DNA, we're very much going down the environmental route for materials for this industry.
“We've very lightly supplied traditional PVC, but it's never been a focus of any significant volume, but this is a huge volume product for us – there's a massive appetite from the industry to get away from PVC.”
He added: “We've been working with TAYA for over two years on this and they've been working on it for 10 years. It's unique and there's nothing like it.
“I think you'll see that sports and events will adopt this massively, because if you look at their clients – the major global brands that are associated with advertising within the events community – they want to go green.”
East said Kavalan had previously been shown at some events and exhibitions in the UK, but that TAYA sees this partnership as the major launch for the product range.
He described Kavalan as being “more expensive than PVC” but said it was difficult to compare pricing like-for-like due to Kavalan being a one weight product, whereas cheap traditional PVC comes in numerous different grades and quality types.
TAYA Groups vice-president Vincent Lin said: “When it comes to distribution we look for a close partnership that shares our philosophy. So when we met the CMYUK team, we were super impressed with its professionalism and dedication to the development of sustainable solutions.
“CMYUK’s fresh marketing approach, its comprehension of the technical aspects of a product, and its understanding of product positioning within a wider environmental context will make this a successful and solid partnership for years to come.”
Kavalan, which currently has 13 patents pending, can be disposed of without any harmful effects to health or the environment, TAYA said.
Any emissions are hundreds of times lower than that of traditional PVC banner and well below the minimum EU safety level guidelines.
TAYA added the material also adheres to strict ecological standards and is REACH, RoHS, and 33P compliant, and that if in a worst-case scenario it does end up in landfill, it has a water-based, light biodegradable coating that decomposes.
