Why choose an environmentally friendly promotional item

David Platt • 30 April 2020

Examining the marketing thinking behind environmental messaging

Environmentally friendly merchandise

Why choose Environmentally Friendly Promotional Products


Environmentally friendly promotional products made from recycled materials or biodegradable materials tend to be more expensive than plastic based products. So why spend the extra money?

1. Because you are a ‘green’ brand

Some brands are entirely focussed on their environmental position. Lush Cosmetics, for example, are natural products with an eco-friendly ethos running through the whole company. From the product, the packaging to the store lighting and the charities they support. For them, any promotional item have to be made from recycled materials from leaflets printed on recycled paper to gifts. To use anything else would be an anathema.


2. Because you have an environmental message as well

We work with a number of brands who you would not class as ‘eco’ companies who nonetheless have a message about their Social Responsibility. Energy clients are a good example. Drax Power is known across the UK for its large scale coal fired power stations. The power stations emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide and so that puts Drax in the firing line for the environmental lobby. But Drax has been changing to removing coal from its power stations and investing in renewables. Their issue is getting that message out.

Drax is an example of a company which has a message to communicate – one which unlike Lush is not immediately obvious. Hence it is more important that literature and promotional items push that message out to clients, consumers and government.

3. Because we need no more plastic in the world

Other businesses may not have a particular environmental message but they do not want to be seen as adding to the problem. For them it is not a particular message that needs to be sent but rather part of a wider Social Responsibility. Not trying to look like eco-warriors but not looking to add to the problem either.


4. Greenwash

I have heard there are lots of customers to be won by saying you are environmentally conscious. Not sure what it all means but if I can win more business then why not?

Clearly the last statement was somewhat tongue in cheek but not massively. We have been asked by car manufacturer for recycled notebooks and have in the past been asked by a well-known burger chain for sporting products. Beware your consumer is not stupid!

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by David Platt • 26 August 2025
T he Changing Cost of Eco-Friendly Products: Is There Still a Premium? SUMMARY • Eco-friendly promotional products used to be 25-30% more expensive • In recent years the volume of eco friendly products has grown substantially • So, the price differences have eroded • Eco and non-eco are now comparable in price – the product features and embellishments are more important to the price, than the eco status In recent years, the market for eco-friendly promotional products has undergone significant changes. Hi, I'm David from Pavilion, and I'm here to explore just how much the pricing paradigm has shifted for products branded as "eco" compared to their standard counterparts. If you'd asked me this question five years ago, I would have estimated a premium of 20-30% for eco products. However, the last half-decade has brought some surprising developments. Eco Products Go Mainstream Eco products have become increasingly mainstream, leading to higher volumes and reduced manufacturing costs. To understand how this has affected pricing, I conducted a survey comparing various popular products. Comparative Survey of Eco Versus Standard Products **Notebooks**: I started with notebooks, considering a batch of 100 with a one-color print. Comparing a standard hard-backed notebook made from PU (polyurethane) to a recycled PU version revealed minimal price differences—around 5%. While eco options like recycled leather or apple peel versions are pricier (£12-14 each), they compare more to luxury brands like Moleskine.

Ultimate Guide to finding an Eco Promotional Product

by David Platt • 27 July 2025
Searching for a branded gift or promotional product? Finding it hard to discover something new, something different? This post will give you a different way of finding what you are looking for by explaining how the industry works and why endless browsing may not be the right approach - or you can watch the video here 1. Understanding how the promotional products industry works a. Promotional Products Distributors The web sites you see on Google are numerous – indeed there are 2,873 distributors in the UK, each selling branded merchandise and each with a website. The web sites vary from the aesthetically pleasing to the overcrowded. BUT you will see the same products on many different web sites – why? b. Promotional Products Manufacturers The number of actual manufacturers is relatively small – a few hundred – each making a single product line, whether that be bags, notebooks, pens or clothing. But the vast majority of the manufacturers will only sell to the Trade – you will find it difficult to access them without the distributor. c. Merchandise Wholesalers In addition to the manufacturers, there an even smaller number of ‘wholesalers’. These Trade only suppliers will stock a huge range of products from many different sources and brand the product with your logo. They may also allow electronic feeds of their products to the distributor websites. d. Images of products So, as you search the myriad of websites presented by Google, you are looking at distributors with potentially the same product lines. ‘But they appear different’ – I hear you say. Yes, that is because each distributor, ourselves included, chooses what we believe to be the best promotional products for a particular price and quality, and the best images. Three problems We may have chosen the wrong products We may have chosen the wrong image The products constantly change so it is really tough to keep the website updated But, remember all the distributors buy from the same sources and virtually all could supply ANY of the products you see….. 2. I don’t know what I am looking for but will know it when I see it! This is true for 95% plus of everyone searching. You do however have some basic parameters: Rough cost per item Estimate of the quantity An understanding of who it’s for An understanding of your brand How the product will be used TIMING This last one is the ‘real kicker’ – you may find what you want but not be able to get it in time – in our experience this happens so often. 3. Alternative approach – a guide So, what is the alternative approach? Have the distributor do the work for you – for FREE We spend every day looking at products, attending industry exhibitions and meeting with manufacturers and wholesalers. We know what is available and when. We can help you clarify a brief and then present you with ideas. We can even quote on a product you have seen elsewhere. See us as your guide. OUR PROMISE – no pushy sales people – happy to chat by email or WhatsApp if you prefer.
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