November 1993 Signs of the Times Focused on Environment

Paints, Plastics, Environmental Pains

DESPITE A COVER that could be nothing but a result of the Wild West of the early internet, Signs of the Times’ November 1993 issue focuses on recycling and the environment. One article notes that scrap plastic dealers continued to thrive in the American South, whereas in the Northeast some dealers were advising signshops to dump their acrylics and polycarbonates in landfills as the dealers pursued more profitable clients outside of the sign industry. Following treatment, reground or pelletized plastic from North America would be shipped to East Asia to be used in automobiles and consumer goods. See complete issues of Signs of the Times dating from 1906 to 1923 (more soon) at signsofthetimes.com/archive.

• Divide Brought to Light
  On the subject of East Asian business, a feature on Taiwanese neon highlights the wedge between its fiercely competitive export market and its cheaper, less glamorous domestic sector. Contributor Val Crawford noted that the neon adorning downtown Taipei was glitzy and animated, albeit awkwardly bent, dangerously wired and poorly installed. The challenges for the domestic market — lack of interest from young benders, resistance to change by established shops — did not go unnoticed by the weary president of a local neon supplies company.