Sustainable Posters Bring Relief

It’s nothing new that sustainability is a great way to advertise, but sustainable advertising posters are a novel concept. Outsite Media GmbH has developed a fabric for advertising posters that literally breathes sustainability. Called “The Breath,” this technology filters, absorbs, and converts air pollutants into oxygen.

Clean Idea

The cleansing process of this effective air filter is entirely passive, requiring no additional energy as it utilizes the natural movement of air. The absorbent, odor-neutralizing, and germ-killing fabric consists of three layers that work synergistically. It is attached to the back of advertising posters. Depending on the need, i.e., the number of cars to be “neutralized,” the fabric wall can be smaller than the poster itself. For example, 10 square meters of this wonder fabric can absorb a whopping 3,625 gasoline cars over the course of a year. At the Berlin Hohenzollernplatz, 800 square meters of “The Breath” could “make good” the air pollution caused by 290,000 gasoline cars (or 116,000 diesel cars) within a year. However, it would need to be replaced after six months as the effectiveness of the fabric wall only lasts for six months.

Taking Sustainability to the Streets

The first advertiser to use this technology in outdoor advertising in Germany is the car manufacturer SEAT. In collaboration with Outside Media and the agency PHD Germany, SEAT is promoting its new natural gas-powered TGI models using this filtering technology. The advertising poster with the fabric on the back has been on display since July 2nd at Lenbachplatz in Munich – a location with heavy traffic near Karlsplatz in the city center. PHD Director Tobias Lange praised the new technology in a press release as “a great example of how advertising messages can be translated onto the advertising medium using creative media ideas.”

Global Cleansing Processes

Worldwide, efforts are being made to tackle the problem of air pollution in major cities. In February, Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde opened a seven-meter-high air filter tower in a park in Krakow, which cleans around 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour. The tower now also adorns cityscapes in China, India, and Mexico. However, the tower is part of a comprehensive campaign that includes university workshops and public relations to prevent politicians from merely using them to give themselves a green image.