Kavalan seeks to champion and highlight the innovative and inspiring work of its partners and customers through the launch of the Kavalan Green Leader Awards
24th March 2025 - Leading PVC-free wide-format materials brand Kavalan announces the launch of its Kavalan Green Leader Awards to celebrate and recognise wide-format print projects using Kavalan products. The Awards seek to put Kavalan customers, users, and distribution partners in the spotlight and to highlight their work to innovate and create impactful print whilst also reducing the impact of their work on the environment.
Entries open on Monday 24th March and close on Wednesday 16th April, 2025, with the Awards being judged by a panel of independent judges with expertise in wide-format print and sustainability.
On the judging panel are Marcus Timson, Co-Founder of online content and events organiser Future Print; Steve Lister, Global Sustainability Consultant; and Nick Widdowson, Founder of ShopperFIRST and board member of POPAI UK & Ireland.
Featuring a total of five categories, the Kavalan Green Leader Awards have been designed to recognise innovation that drives the industry forward, as well as approaches to sustainability that extend beyond the material choice.
The inaugural Kavalan Green Leader Awards are:
The Innovation Award: recognising a particularly innovative, impactful, and creative project that utilises Kavalan materials.
The Green Spirit Award: recognising a project that not only uses Kavalan materials, but extends a sustainable approach into other areas.
The Powerhouse Award: recognising a project that showcases strength, durability, and weldability of Kavalan’s PVC-free materials.
The Wrap Star Award: recognising a particularly eye-catching building wrap project.
The Kavalan Champion Award: celebrating a business that is a champion and advocate of Kavalan materials and sustainability in wide-format print.
Businesses producing wide-format print projects with Kavalan materials are eligible to enter any or all award categories while the Kavalan Champion Award is exclusively open to businesses distributing Kavalan materials in any region. Entries must be submitted in the format specified in the Entry Form for the relevant award category, taking care to adhere to the word limits, image resolution and file formats specified.
Winners will be invited to collect their award at a celebratory reception on the Kavalan booth (Stand B81, Hall 25) at FESPA Global Print Expo in Berlin in May 2025.
Nova Abbott, Head of Marketing at Kavalan, says: “Since the launch of the Kavalan brand at FESPA Hamburg in 2017, we have seen some awe inspiring examples of how our customers use our PVC-free materials to deliver visual communications projects that are not only truly creative but are reducing the industry’s impact on the environment too. We want to celebrate those successes on a global stage, which is why we’re inviting both our distribution partners and our customers from around the world to share their incredible work for the inaugural Kavalan Green Leader Awards. It seems only fitting to celebrate this year’s award winners at FESPA Berlin, with Kavalan’s journey having launched at this very event.”
Marcus Timson, Co-Founder of Future Print, comments: “Having long championed the need for change when it comes to print’s impact on the environment, I am delighted to have been asked to judge Kavalan’s inaugural Green Leader Awards. I look forward to celebrating the positive impact Kavalan users and distributors are having by utilising PVC-free materials, without compromising on creativity or quality.”
Steve Lister, Global Sustainability Consultant, says: “As a global retail sustainability and brand influencer, I have spent over 20 years driving sustainability with brands and retailers, advising on ways to reduce impact including through eco-friendly material alternatives. I am extremely pleased to be judging the Kavalan Green Leader Awards, and look forward to shining a spotlight on the companies striving to be more environmentally responsible by reducing the impact of their campaigns with Kavalan’s PVC-free materials.”
Nick Widdowson, Founder of ShopperFIRST, adds: “It’s a real privilege to be a judge for the inaugural Kavalan Green Leader Awards, recognising the innovative strides the wide-format print industry is making when it comes to sustainability. Having spent years driving more responsible POS solutions, it’s inspiring to see how brands and retailers are embedding sustainable practices into their campaigns and projects. The best solutions not only engage customers effectively but also minimise environmental impact, and I look forward to celebrating those who are leading the way.”
For information about the entry criteria for the Kavalan Green Leader Awards and to submit an entry for consideration for a Kavalan Green Leader Award, visit https://www.goforkavalan.com/award.php
For further product information on the KAVALAN range, visit www.goforkavalan.com.
NOTE TO EDITORS
About the Judges:
Marcus Timson
Timson entered the print sector in 2006 and has wide-spanning experience in sales, marketing, and events. Now, Marcus co-runs FuturePrint, an online content and events organiser that is championing sustainability by working with a number of industry leaders to reduce the environmental impact of the print industry through its new Sustainability Manifesto.
Steve Lister
Named as one of RETHINK Retail’s Top Retail Experts in 2025, Lister has been driving sustainability initiatives for global brands and retailers for over two decades, working with clients to give them a greater understanding of the impact of campaigns from design and the materials used to production and installation and end-of-life recycling.
Nick Widdowson
Founder of ShopperFIRST and board member of POPAI UK & Ireland, Widdowson has built an extensive career in retail, category management, and shopper marketing, applying deep shopper insight to enhance store environments and point-of-sale (POS) visibility. Through his work, Widdowson helps businesses integrate sustainability into their shopper marketing strategies.
About Kavalan
First developed in 2008, KAVALAN is Taya Groups’ main focus for the large-format printing industry. KAVALAN is a range of LCA-certified PVC-Free materials for indoor and outdoor use including, but not limited to the following: advertising billboards, banner flags, posters and digital interior décor. All TAYA’s products are produced in accordance with international standards and regulations and have certifications such as ISO9001, ISO14001, REACH, RoHS, 6P and DIN4102-B1, to name a few.
About TAYA Groups
Founded in Taiwan in 1972, TAYA is a world-class producer and exporter of coated printing materials and its products have expanded into a comprehensive line that ranges widely across various industries throughout the world.
