From buying organic to recycling everything in sight, the whole world is going green… and promotional products are no exception. The promotional products industry is rolling out a wide variety of eco-friendly products in 2008 and encouraging businesses to be socially responsible in their promotional programs.

WHY GO GREEN?

Using eco-friendly products mean less stuff ends up in the landfills. While promotional products have many strengths in marketing programs they often get a bad rap. Critics claim many promotional products end up in the trash and often refer to the industry as “trinkets and trash” (this perception persists because some consumers simply aren’t educated on how to use promotional products effectively). The industry is actively defying this monaker with the introduction of so many eco-freindly products and escalating efforts to encourage consumers to use promotional products in effective and socially responsible ways. So, how can companies avoid clogging the landfill?

• Make sure there’s a good fit between the product and the company.
• Make sure the product is appropriate for and serves the goal of the program. 
• Make sure the product is useful and appreciated by the end consumer.
• Use products that are biodegradable, recyclable or reusable.

Organic products and products made of recycled materials results in fewer poisons in the water supply. Recycled materials cost less to produce, use less energy, and emit fewer pollutants into the atmosphere for their production. Organic products are produced without pesticides, keeping poisons off the ground and out of the water.

Using certain sustainable products and organic products gives a boost to farmers. Buying products made from corn-based plastics not only promotes the use of sustainable/renewable natural resources, but also gives a boost to the farmers who grow the corn. The advent of biodegradable corn plastics means that a whole host of plastic promotional items are now being manufactured as something that will, under the right circumstances, break down in the earth instead of lasting forever in the landfill.

You’re making a statement about your brand that can have a direct impact on the bottom line. Consumer awareness of the points above is at an all time high and many customers are consciously choosing to do business with companies and organizations who demonstrate green practices.

YOU CAN DO IT!

While many assume the cost of going Green is prohibitive, eco-friendly promotional items allow you to go Green without spending too much green. With prices starting under a dollar, every company can be part of the solution. Here are just a few examples of how companies can turn their promotions green (contact your account rep for more green ideas for your business).

If each exhibitor at a trade show handed out their information in electronic format instead of paper literature, forests of trees would be saved! USB drives not only allow you to put your catalog and other documents and images in the palm of your clients’ hands, but many are encased in recycled plastic, can be used over and over and send an earth friendly message.

It’s nearly impossible to attend a trade show and not gather a truckload of literature and other hand-outs. Receiving a bag from an exhibitor makes it much easier for attendees to lug around their haul. But rather than traditional plastic bags, why not give attendees an eco-friendly bag branded with your name & logo? To ensure that attendees will use the bags once they leave the show, choose a sack with lasting power, such as bags made from woven corn plastic, hemp, bamboo or organic cotton. Not only are these bags made of earth-friendly materials, their sturdy structures allow them to be refilled time and again!

Use light products that use either manual or solar power sources. The wind-up flashlight is a great option – it’s made from 100% recycled plastic and it eliminates the need for traditional toxic batteries. All this baby needs to light up the night is a little elbow grease!

Give (and use) a sports bottle instead of bottled water. Sports bottles are re-useable, re-fillable and some are even made with recycled material. Currently, over 8 billion gallons of bottled water are consumed every year – that’s over 48 BILLION 20 OUNCE CONTAINERS!! Only 10% of those containers are recycled; the others are tossed in waste dumps where they will take hundreds of years to decompose.