Environmentally Friendly Promotional Products and ECO Promotional Gifts
Traditionally Environmentally Friendly Promotional Products carried a premium price. The ranges available were fairly limited and the quantities produced each year relatively small. Tied to the promotional gifts industry, production volumes had to rise to achieve a more comparative unit cost. Today this is very much the case and on occasion, eco promotional gifts can show higher cost savings.
Demand for environmentally friendly promotional products has continued to rise. This is in part down to several factors. Many organisations have implemented environmental management systems which demand that they seek out eco products and environmentally friendly services. Ethical, sustainability and corporate social responsibility polices are also becoming more common, all of which help to raise an awareness of the environment.
Globalisation itself has also lead to a general increase in the range of eco promotional gifts and products available. As charity and aid funds are invested in Third world economies, their output, which tends to be agricultural, needs to find its way to market. In terms of eco promotional gifts, Fairtrade schemes have also benefited both farmers producing foods such as cocoa beans and organic crops such as cotton and jute. In this way, the environmental side of the promotional gifts industry can have a major beneficial effect within producer countries.
Demand for environmentally friendly promotional products will also continue to grow as society becomes both more aware and adept at gathering materials for recycling. Most British homes now segregate their waste into separate streams, as do most businesses, so that papers and plastics can be collected separately. Even mixed waste is categorised in recycling centres and either provided free of charge or supplied to industries for reclamation and reuse.
Most promotional gifts now have an environmentally friendly alternative. Recycled plastics are the primary material, made from reclaimed drinks bottles, cd cases, carrier bags and other generally available plastic products. Other commonly recycled materials include car tyres, paper and clothing. For a product to be classed as ‘environmentally friendly’ it generally only needs to include a percentage or amount of recycled material or combination of materials. Typically, 70% of the plastic used within say a promotional product may be recycled with the remaining 30% made up from other plastics. Products made from organic and natural substances tend to be made completely from such materials.
For help in selecting the right environmentally friendly products for your campaign, contact our Promotional Gifts Consultants. Simply complete our quick response enquiry form, call UK 0845 8386 368 or email us.
