From Landfill to Legacy: How GMU Transformed Worn Banners into Lasting Gifts
Last year, George Mason University faced a familiar maintenance issue: hundreds of worn pole banners that had served their purpose but were destined for the landfill. For most organizations, this is just part of the cycle—print, display, dispose, repeat. However, the creative team at GMU’s Office of Branding had an idea.
What happened next became one of the most rewarding creative partnerships we’ve undertaken at More Vang; and it changed how we think about the lifecycle of printed materials.
The Challenge
GMU had hundreds of pole banners across their campuses that needed replacement. They were made from durable woven vinyl (PVC Scrim) designed to withstand years of outdoor exposure and extreme weather. That durability is an asset while hanging from light poles, but it becomes a liability when they’re disposed of in a landfill. PVC decomposes over decades and leaches harmful chemicals in the process.
GMU reached out to us with a question: Was there anything we could do besides throw them away?
Reuse over Recycling
PVC is difficult to recycle and often results in downcycled products, GMU proposed something different: transformation into items designed for permanent use. We loved the idea.
Repurposing has been something we began experimenting with during COVID related supply shortages a few years ago. We’ve been repurposing packaging materials that protect the raw materials inventory we purchase on a daily basis. The question Brian posed was different—how to make something old and dated into something valuable.
We settled on the idea of repurposing the material into branded swag: bags, season ticket holders, and even coolers. These weren’t novelty items. They were functional products that students, alumni, and staff would actually use – items that would extend the life of these materials by years, possibly decades.
Now we just had to figure out how to actually do it.
The Process
Printing companies don’t typically have industrial sewing capabilities, so we needed to build that capacity from scratch. As the tailoring industry has contracted in recent years, we were fortunate to bring experienced seamstresses onto our team.
But converting a weathered pole banner into a functional tote bag is quite different from traditional tailoring work. The material is thicker, more resistant, and comes with its own challenges: existing grommets, weathering patterns, and the need to work around any damaged sections.
Our team spent weeks prototyping and refining techniques. We had to figure out:
- How to properly clean outdoor banners without damaging the material
- Which sewing techniques worked best with heavy vinyl
- How to maximize usable material from each banner
- Quality control standards for the finished products
There was a learning curve, but our seamstresses adapted quickly. The branding team was patient with us during this trial run, which we deeply appreciated.
The Results
From 200 pole banners, we produced:
- 225 tote bags
- 175 card holders
- 175 lanyards
That’s approximately 1,100 pounds of material diverted from the landfill—material that’s now in daily use rather than decomposing over the next century.
The products were distributed to students and alumni as unique, meaningful gifts. Unlike typical promotional items that often end up forgotten in a drawer, these carry a story. Each one represents GMU’s commitment to sustainability and creative problem-solving.
Why Reuse Beats Recycling
This project reinforced something we’d suspected: reuse is almost always better than recycling when it’s possible.
Recycling still requires significant energy input—collection, transportation, processing, remanufacturing. And with materials like vinyl banners, recycling often means downcycling into lower-grade products. The material gets a second life, but usually a shorter one.
Reuse, on the other hand, extends the original material’s useful life without additional manufacturing. A banner that might have served for three years outdoors now serves for ten years as a tote bag. The math is compelling.
Of course, reuse requires creativity and planning. Not every project lends itself to transformation. That’s why we’re also exploring next-generation banner materials – like Kavalan, a PVC-free alternative – that are easier to recycle when reuse isn’t an option. If you are interested in learning more about that, click here.
What’s Next
The GMU project was a trial run. Now that we’ve refined the process, we’re confident we can deliver these transformations faster and more efficiently moving forward.
The key is planning ahead. When you design and fabricate with eventual reuse in mind the possibilities expand significantly.
A New Standard
What started as one university’s question: “Can we do better than the landfill?” has become a cornerstone of how we think about our work at More Vang.
We’re not just a printing company. We’re problem-solvers who happen to specialize in print. And increasingly, those problems involve finding creative ways to extend the lifecycle of the materials we produce.
This project only happened because the team at GMU was willing to champion an idea that had never been done before. Their commitment to sustainability, and their trust in More Vang, turned a problem into an opportunity that neither of us will forget.
Interested in exploring reuse options for your printed materials? Contact More Vang to discuss your next project.