November 18, 2024
Sustainable Interior Décor: Balancing Aesthetics with Eco-Friendly Choices
As a large-format printing company located in a region known for its natural beauty and resources, the importance of sustainability is not lost on us. From the materials used in our work to the energy used in our facilities, we take responsibility to operate with a greener world in mind.
Thankfully, many of our commercial interior décor clients feel similarly. Whether you’re building and decorating an office building, hospital, museum, hotel, assisted living facility, higher education building, or something else, we can help you balance aesthetics with eco-friendly choices to ensure you hit your sustainability goals.
LEED CERTIFICATION
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the world's most widely used green building rating system. Through sustainable design, construction, interior décor, and operations, LEED provides a framework that enables new and existing buildings to reduce carbon emissions, energy and waste, conserve water, prioritize safer materials, and lower our exposure to toxins.
Achieving LEED certification takes a substantial amount of dedication and planning. The application for certification consists of a point system — projects earn points by adhering to requirements that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health, and indoor environmental quality. The number of points earned correspond to the level of LEED certification: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points), and Platinum (80+ points).
SUSTAINABLE INTERIOR DÉCOR SOLUTIONS
Infinity Images enters the picture once the client is ready to talk about sustainable commercial interior décor solutions. We help our clients meet LEED Certification interior décor requirements through eco-friendly material swaps, sustainable large-format printing techniques, energy-saving lighting solutions, and used material recycling.
Eco-Friendly Materials
We regularly stock over 40 materials — 20 of which are sustainable options — but can source just about any substrate. Our material experts are well-versed and ready to suggest alternate eco-friendly materials for all your graphic needs.
- Wallpaper and Wallcoverings: Commercial wallcoverings can feature brand colors, solid or patterned colors, textured effects, community-centered photos, and more. We stock a variety of eco-friendly wall graphic substrates including one that’s PVC-free and 30% post-consumer recycled material.
- Floor Graphics: Floor graphics can be a creative way to incorporate brand messaging, wayfinding and directional instructions, safety features, and/or miscellaneous decorative elements. We frequently use a PVC-free print media that’s phthalate-free, GREENGUARD Gold certified, and manufactured using 58% less solvent for sustainability-focused floor graphic projects.
- Glass and Window Treatments: Different commercial environments have different glass and window requirements. While opaque and translucent graphics are often used to facilitate privacy and security in workplaces with glass office walls, a museum might use exterior window graphics to advertise their latest exhibit. A 60/40 PVC-free window perf or the previously mentioned PVC-free print media, can be printed on, and are both great products for glass and window applications.
- Signs and Posters: When wallpaper would be too much, framed printed artwork, photos, or posters (shown above) are a great way to incorporate pops of color in a variety of commercial spaces. Sustainable signs and posters can be printed on 100% recyclable corrugated board, 100% recyclable and FSC® Certified rigid paper board, 100% recyclable and FSC®-certified bright white matte paper, or a rigid paper board that boasts a variety of sustainable features, including: 100% recyclable, PVC-free, FSC® Certified, Green-e® Certified, and SmartWay® Certified (used for the posters shown above).
- Banners: Did your company just launch a new global initiative? Are you an assisted living facility property manager that has room openings? Is your university library celebrating its 50th anniversary? You might need a banner! Eco-friendly banners can be printed on a polypropylene blockout material that’s recyclable in all commercial plastics recycling programs.
- Fabric: Backlit Silicone Edge Graphics (SEGs), fabric-wrapped ceiling panels for sound absorption, curtains, and pull curtains can all be printed and sewn to match your interior décor aesthetic. For all these needs, we stock several fabrics made from recycled water bottles.
Sustainable Large-Format Printing
Once the base material is selected, the graphic then needs to be printed. We have four state-of-the-art large-format printers that all utilize eco-friendly inks.
- UV Inks: Unlike conventional inks, UV inks are 99.5% free of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), which contribute to air pollution and can pose health risks. UV inks cure instantly when exposed to ultraviolet light, reducing energy consumption. They are highly resistant to fading, moisture, and abrasions, which minimizes the need for reprints and replacements. Additionally, they often provide superior color saturation, requiring less ink to achieve vibrant colors. All three of our large-format inkjet printers use UV inks.
- Water-Based Inks: Our dye-sublimation fabric printer uses water-based, odorless inks that are certified with the Oeko-Tex® Eco Passport. The Oeko-Tex® Eco Passport is an independent certification system for chemicals, colorants, and auxiliaries used in the textile industry. During a multistep process, each ingredient in the ink has been analyzed to meet the statutory requirements. Certified products are safe to human and environmental health and can be used for ecologically responsible textile production.
- GREENGUARD Gold Certified Inks: Our large-format specialty printer uses GREENGUARD Gold Certified inks. This certification helps demonstrate compliance with chemical emission standards that facilitate healthier indoor environments. The Gold Certification level includes health-based criteria for additional chemicals and requires lower total VOC emissions levels to ensure that products are acceptable for use in environments such as schools and healthcare facilities.
Energy-Saving Lighting Solutions
There are a variety of ways to incorporate lighting into commercial interior décor projects: lit logos and lettering, hanging lighting fixtures, backlit SEGs, trim and edge lighting, commercial grade audio/video displays, art lightboxes, museum-style gallery lighting, and other custom decorative lit elements. For all these situations, we utilize UL-certified LED lighting solutions.
LED lighting solutions offer numerous sustainability benefits:
- Energy Efficiency: LED lights consume significantly less energy than traditional lighting technologies, such as incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. They convert a higher percentage of electrical energy into light, reducing overall energy consumption and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from power generation. Lower energy consumption also means fewer fossil fuels are burned to generate electricity, resulting in a decrease in CO₂ emissions.
- Long Lifespan: LEDs have a much longer lifespan than conventional lighting, lasting up to 25 times longer. Fewer bulb changes mean less waste!
- Lower Heat Emissions: Unlike traditional bulbs, LEDs emit very little heat, reducing the energy required for cooling indoor environments. This improves energy efficiency in climate-controlled settings such as offices and other commercial spaces.
- Non-Toxic Materials: LED lights are free from hazardous materials, such as mercury, which is commonly found in fluorescent and CFL bulbs. This makes disposal safer and reduces environmental contamination risks.
