Following the ban by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on display of flex and banners in the city, advertisers are making use of cotton to print their advertisements.
While the civic body is clear that it will not allow any banners to be put up, eco-friendly or otherwise, shopkeepers are clinging on to whatever little business they get by embracing cotton.
“We are not getting any orders for big banners, as no one wants to take the risk of violating regulations. What we are printing are smaller display materials for local use. We are using cotton fabric,” said Ravi, a flex printer, showing an A-4 size cotton display material ordered by a client for sale of Ganesha idols. People are making use of it to display information on houses available for rent or for obituaries, he added.
Another shopkeeper, Sajid, said cotton fabric is the new trend in the market. “Until now, I have not received any order from clients. But, a lot of shops are making use of cotton,” he said.
A flex and banner material dealer in Bommanahalli said the ban on PVC material had opened up business for cotton fabric dealers. “There are many in the market offering cotton for printing displays. We are sourcing the cotton from cloth mills in Gujarat,” he said.
Though printers have found an alternative material in cotton, shopkeepers said it had not been very effective as the fabric absorbs a lot of ink and the print looks dull on it.
Mr. Ravi said he would decide in the coming months whether to shut shop and invest in another business based on customer response.
The dealer in Bommanahalli said that there is a lot of confusion in the market. “We are getting orders for cotton fabrics. Yet, it has not picked up pace as expected,” he said.
However, the BBMP will not allow cotton banners, said Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad. “There is a clear direction not to display any banners. Cotton or not, we will remove those boards if we find anyone using it,” he said.
