Doing Your Bit for the Environment: Eco-Friendly Promotional Products

Don’t panic! Being eco-friendly isn’t extreme! It doesn’t mean you have to adopt a dolphin and keep it in your pool or start piecing together work suits out of tree bark or make your breakfast yoghurt from mud. It just means making the effort to be conscious of the state of the planet and doing what you can in a thousand small ways – including the promotional items you choose to raise awareness of your business, organization, campaign, or event. They will have been sourced ethically and mostly made from sustainable materials – so there’s a negligible impact on the environment or, even better, none at all.

The Market for Eco-Friendly Promotional Products

A major survey, conducted in 2020, found that 45% of consumers are interested in using brands that are sustainable or environmentally responsible. Similarly, 44% percent of consumers are interested in brands that support recycling. More and more people are ‘opting in’ to the idea of social responsibility in their own day-to-day lives and are also wanting to see that reflected back at them from the brands they consume.

So, a great way to demonstrate your green credentials to current customers, potential customers, clients, and friends is to use eco-friendly promotional products when you can. For instance, if your option is a plastic pen or an eco-pen, it’s always better to go for the eco pen. The fact is, eco pens work the same as ‘normal’ pens, and so the big value for your brand is in the ‘doing the right thing’ arena rather than just ‘giving the right thing’.

It's possible that eco stuff could cost you a little more, but in the end it really is worth it. The extra spend won’t be excessive - and if you do have to justify it, then it can be rationalized as a way to ‘piggyback the zeitgeist’. In other words, using eco promotional items is a new and effective way people can ‘buy in’ to your brand. Think of that as, in a way, a sort of ‘value plus’ in your offer.

So, what sort of items could you think about, and does EverythingBranded have them? If you’re in business and it involves an office, or if your customers and clients have their own offices, then perhaps something like a pen made from sustainable materials or a printed recycled notebook would be appropriate. A notebook emblazoned with your logo is going to get your brand noticed because there’s a strong chance it will be used every day, and ‘sit there’ on your customer’s desk. That’s high visibility, right there.

Other recycled promotional items could be the right choice, too. Customizable eco shopping bags are a smart way to engage your brand with almost everyone. Most people go shopping at some point during their week, so bags with your logo or message on them are another high visibility way to reach out. These bags could be branded up and handed out in shopping malls as a giveaway or put on sale in your store.

If you’re looking to make a marketing impact in people’s homes, there are items like bamboo ceramic coffee canisters and bamboo photo frames that look great but also have their eco credentials fully present and correct. If you’re looking for amazing small giveaway items which will make a big impression, you could also think about flower planting kits and seed paper postcards. These have a really cool vibe about them so are sure to go down well with eco conscious customers – and they’ll really remember your brand when the seeds grow or the flowers bloom.

Our Top 5 Eco-Friendly Promo Items

We’ve put together this list of our five favorite eco-friendly promotional items, but you can find many more just by browsing the EverythingBranded website.

1. This Mini Planting Kit can sit on a windowsill and because the logo will be printed on a seed paper medallion , it will boost your profile while the plant grows! The mini grow kit comes with everything you need to start a spring flower garden sand includes a biodegradable pot, soil wafer and seed paper medallion. People love kits of any kind, and it becomes a little project for them, and your brand will be in their mind as part of that.
2. An eco-friendly Pocket Straw Set is a great way to promote your brand, too. The straw itself is made from 40% plant fibers and disassembles into 3 pieces for compact storage in a small box marked up with your logo. The straws don't dissolve like paper straws and can be used over and over, so this is a great reusable piece of promo material.
3. These Seed Paper Postcards are a really clever way to reach out. The card is adorned with a plantable seed paper shape of your choice and your custom design can be printed in full color on recycled cardstock. It’s a double whammy because it’s card which can carry a printed message, but also a part of it can be planted to grow something.
4. A simple but always effective promotional tool is the good old pen. Everyone needs a pen at some point, almost every day – so with your brand visible on the side, you’re going to get noticed! These eco-friendly Ballpoint Pens are made with recycled paper and plastic material and are perfect for any office, school, tradeshow, giveaway event and more.
5. Bags might be what you’re thinking about investing in for your marketing, or for your general branding purposes. Add into the mix your eco-friendly desires, and these Tote Bags might be perfect for your business or organization. Made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and polyester laminate and 80% recycled post-consumer plastic bottles, these bags have a cool look as well as the required sense of eco responsibility.

Whatever you decide to use for your eco-friendly marketing activities, EverythingBranded will have something suitable. Simply get in touch, and once you know what you are after our friendly team will be happy to give you a quote.