Forty years ago, Phantom Billstickers pasted up its first poster advertising a gig. Back then posters were applied directly to walls and lampposts with glue, usually in the middle of the night.
These days you can be sure that Phantom posters are made of recyclable paper, printed with plant-based inks and housed in recycled timber frames. The posters – which come in a variety of sizes – are pasted onto recyclable backing board with water-based glue, and at the end of life, each poster is recycled.
Phantom is New Zealand’s only net carbon zero poster company with the Toitū Envirocare tick!
“For a lot of people, the perception is a poster campaign goes on the wall and stays there forever,” says Phantom marketing manager Tom Horton. “While there is still illegal billsticking that happens, it’s usually very small scale. That may have been where Phantom started back in Christchurch in 1982 but we now have a very clean and concise way of application. The posters remain clean in the frames for the life of the campaign and are very well maintained. When a campaign is finished, they’re removed by hand and then recycled.”
Achieving Toitū certification has been a monumental effort for the company where every aspect of the business is analysed right down to every Uber receipt. Phantom has four digital billboards and 6,500 poster frames nationwide which are updated weekly.
Last year Phantom recycled 10,208 tonnes of paper and cardboard – the same weight as the Eiffel Tower – from its Auckland operations alone. That’s also equivalent to 95 adult blue whales.
Phantom have also invested in EV vans – eDeliver3s – which are big enough to hold lots of posters plus the frames and other gear they need to transport around town.
They first achieved net carbon zero certification in 2021 from the meticulous auditors at Toitū Envirocare and this audit process is being repeated in 2024.
It’s fair to say they are as passionate about sustainability as they are about street media helping their clients get their message out there.
“There’s a reason that poster design and billsticking came together to create one of the oldest mediums in advertising is because it works,” Horton says. “It’s at eye level and you see things in different places. There’s a sense of discovery and a level of disruption that is very positive for getting in touch with audiences.”
Ultimately, Phantom is a facilitator for creative expression from the ground all the way up to global level creative campaigns. And while they’ll quality check, ensuring files and artwork are ready for print, Phantom doesn’t control any narratives and supports creative expression.
“We try not to control too much but also try and facilitate as much as we can. People often need to get their voices heard and as long as the message is honest and authentic, we support that,” he says.
Many of Phantom’s brand activations now exist outside of the frames, too. Taking over an entire site or walls, with artwork painted within and outside frames to create a unified and eye-catching visual effect.
And whatever the scale, environmental impact is always forefront. phantombillstickers.com
