Promotional Pens: Eco-Friendly Pens

Promotional items are an important part of most marketing plans. Studies show that there is a clear relationship between increased business and logo items. These items can establish name recognition and buoy repeat business. There are many items available to use to motivate a sales staff or improve relations with clients and they are successful because people like to get something for nothing. When there is a business name on a product that a person uses daily, that name is more likely to be retained in memory. Among those items promotional pens were one of the first and most popular forms of promotion. Although they might be limited in space for logo and information about a business, they are so well used and so much a part of daily life that they are still a very popular tool for promotional needs.

As the world changes and develops new business directions, promotional products must meet new demands. Many businesses have started to meet the demand for green products and consequently the need for green promotional items has grown. Now it is possible to use recycled materials for many promotional products, such as tote bags, apparel and even pens. An eco-friendly promotional pen is either made of recycled or renewable material or the pen is biodegradable. The best are made of both recycled and biodegradable materials.

Promotional pens can be made from a variety of recycled materials such as plastic, paper or bottles. As in all products made from recycled materials the percentage of materials that are recycled can vary significantly, but if claimed to be recycled material it usually also states the percentage that is recycled. There is also a new generation of plastics which are biodegradable, and are made from renewable raw materials like corn or potato starches. There is even a biodegradable material made from petroleum products. In addition pens can be made from wood which is a renewable resource.

Although the pens are biodegradable they can vary greatly in the time and the process required to actually decompose in a landfill. Some processes require a certain heat to actually work, but all will eventually degrade. One part of pens that is not biodegradable is the ink cartridge and the ink which means that a biodegradable product might be only 70% biodegradable. It is possible to get pens that are made of a biodegradable material and have biodegradable natural inks and cartridges. Always a popular and dependable giveaway or promotional item pens have changed with the times. For most people, eco-awareness is a part of day to day life. Now a promotional pen can say that the business it promotes cares about the environment.