Eco Products – Reducing throw away plastic
Process improvement
The Leather Business has just launched a new range of recycled leather products, The Reco Collection featuring 10 of the best-selling lines manufactured in a unique way. Natural latex avoids using chemicals to stick fibers together. As well as using biodegradable poly bags, when despatching orders, the company reuses all of the packagings and avoids foam or other non-recyclable materials.
Meaningful Merchandise
“We are only reducing throwaway plastics if we create something that is going to be kept and used,” says Adam Moody, founder, and CEO of Far ‘n’ Beyond. The agency prompts clients to consider whether their promotional products are providing value. “A £4 power bank is probably not going to last very long or work very well. Instead, by spending £10 or more can change the product into a power bank with a premium battery that has enough power to fully charge the recipient’s phone and last a long time. It becomes desirable and valuable.” Moody also urges clients to consider branding and whether a product is something they would want to use themselves. Reining in contact details and focusing on the branding and design can make a product something that people desire.
Every little helps
As well as monitoring its processes on a regular basis to improve its carbon footprint, and introducing more environmentally friendly and recycled products, pen company Hainenko has looked companywide for improvements. Wherever possible, recycled cardboard is used for packaging and transportation is through Dachser Logistics which has an ecological approach using low-emission commercial vehicles, recycling management process and green IT awareness.
In addition, all company cars are either hybrid or electric and public transport is used wherever possible. Meanwhile, Sussex Promotions has been an active supporter of Charity Trees for Life since 2008, planting more than 500 trees since then. Clients are invited to donate a tree through its grove by adding £5 to an order.
Don’t stop
There are many wins for businesses when they adopt sustainable practices, but it is important to keep on improving once the low hanging fruit has been gathered. Castelli has looked across its business to put sustainable processes in place, covering areas including energy, manufacturing, packaging, and marketing.
However, it is committed to being even better by producing a list of key sustainable aims for the future, such as automation, solar energy, and charging point for electrical vehicles. Like many seemingly intractable problems, it can be easy to despair when considering some of the worst examples of pollution, despoliation, and waste brought about by our rampant consumerist lifestyles. The environmental challenge is certainly tough. and it will require action on many fronts to address lifestyles, consumer expectations, industrial processes and practices, and cultural norms.
There is no one magic bullet, but we can see that the merchandise industry is not ignoring the issues. It is addressing them in lots of different ways, which is important because battling to save the planet will take many forms. And it is a battle in which we can all play a part.
