Blog Post

5 Eco-Friendly Promotional Products That Make a Difference

15 May 2023

In this blog post, we highlight 5 different eco-friendly promotional products, their environmental benefits and how they are a great way for businesses to show their commitment to sustainability.

Promoting your business with eco-friendly merchandise may be done for a number of reasons. Because you care about the environment, because you wish to demonstrate to you customers that you care or maybe to the meet the needs of the corporate ESG targets. Some products are environmentally friendly but do not look it – and if your objective is to outwardly demonstrate your environmental credentials then may not be for you. But if your objective is to make a difference then consider these:

1. The notepad:

The humble paper pad whether A4 or A5 is an often overlooked eco item. Obviously it can be produced from recycled paper but even if not, we would regard the pad as sustainable. No plastic here and whilst many items purport to be recyclable, paper is the most recycled product in the UK with a ubiquitous collection and recycling system in place.

The paper industry on its Two Sides web site – (https://www.twosides.info/myths-and-facts) – shows that European paper does not destroy trees and the environment but as a farmed product increases the number of trees. The paper industry uses more renewable energy that almost any other.

2. The cotton T shirt

Whilst recycled polyester T shirts are popular and because they are recycled they clearly have a place in the sustainable portfolio however they suffer from one major problem. All manmade fibres whether they are recycled or not are one of the major sources of micro plastics found in the ocean. This is caused by the generation of micro plastics when cleaning manmade fibres.

Cotton does not suffer from this issue and as a natural fibre is biodegradable and recyclable. New paragraph

3. Ocean Bottle

When you buy an Ocean Bottle, you fund the collection of 1000 ocean-bound plastic PET bottles before they enter the ocean. Collectors in coastal communities exchange this plastic for money and get access to social resources such as healthcare, education and financial security. As a winner of design awards, the Ocean Bottle is also one of the most elegant designed bottles on the market. It is possible the most elegantly designed eco merchandise products on the market.

4. Seeds

Seeds are wonderful way to show your eco credentials, encouraging a respect for nature and involvement in growing plants. This points to CO2 reduction and with wild flower seeds can also encourage bees and biodiversity. The eco merchandise industry has come up with a number of inventive ways to give seeds from seed packets to match boxes and seed paper. All of these can be branded with you eco message.New paragraph

5. Jute Bag

Jute is a much under-rated material. Naturally very strong and hard wearing and also a natural fibre which is biodegradable. For promotional use the tote bag or shopping bag is the most common use and this allows highlighting of the eco credentials, namely:

· Jute grows without the need for pesticides and fertilizers (major criticism of cotton)

· Not only is jute biodegradable it is also recyclable

· Jute reaches maturity in around 4-6 months, making it an incredibly efficient source of truly sustainable materials

· It needs only natural rainfall and not expensive water irrigation systems (another criticism of cotton)New paragraph