09/07/2022
Strides Toward Sustainability in the Promotional Products Industry
Many industries are becoming increasingly concerned with sustainability and following environmentally-conscious practices. A large part of working toward a sustainable future is the development of promotional products that can help replace harmful single-use items made from unsustainable materials.
Learn about what makes a product more environmentally friendly below.
Why Are Companies Becoming More Sustainable?
Concerns about climate change and the abundance of inorganic waste currently in landfills are largely responsible for recent changes in the market. The companies finding new ways to reduce their carbon footprints and be more sustainable are leading the pack, particularly in terms of attracting and retaining customers. In fact, nearly one in three customers from the United Kingdom have said they’ve stopped purchasing from brands they deemed unethical or unsustainable.
Ultimately, sustainability is profitable, and companies are switching to more eco-friendly practices for a few other reasons:
1. Regulations and Policy Changes
Stronger regulations concerning plastic usage and waste disposal have resulted in more companies marketing products that can solve the plastic problem. These regulations come from governments worldwide, and in the United States, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state governments are responsible for various regulations:
- Certain states are taking actions such as banning single-use plastics, with others seriously considering making the change to their legislations.
- The EPA recommends how much recycled content should be included in certain paper products.
- The CPSC provides a list of regulated products with information to ensure products that may pose an environmental hazard are properly handled and disposed of.
2. Marketing Benefits
The real question is, are sustainable products more popular? Yes — sustainability is more than a trend and offers several advantages when you’re marketing new products, simply due to the sheer number of consumers who are trying to become more eco-conscious. Part of the advertising regarding environmental issues often involves making consumers aware of problems so they’ll care about the problem more.
If you can get more customers to buy products they find useful for making sustainable choices, you can get them to share your message and its importance. Additionally, you can boost your audience’s perception of your brand with the right marketing — according to a study, 9 in 10 business leaders were concerned with how consumers judge them for the environmental impact they make.
Overall, considering how climate change affects marketing and using marketing to promote your company’s sustainable initiatives, such as with promotional products, can boost consumer interest in your brand.
3. Climate Change Initiatives
As governments make climate change initiatives, such as implementing Emission Reduction Credits (ERCs) to offset potential future harmful emissions, more consumers are becoming interested in participating. Through climate change incentives, both companies and consumers can benefit from being more sustainable. For example, businesses and individuals can offset tax expenses by installing renewable energy.
How Promotional Products Help Reduce Environmental Waste
There are numerous ways in which promotional products can help promote sustainability efforts, namely by reducing environmental waste. By investing in high-quality, environmentally–conscious promotional products, your business can support sustainable efforts and reap the benefits of doing so.
Here’s how promotional products can make a positive impact on the environment:
1. Replacing Single-Use Items
Items designed for one use are meant to be thrown away quickly, contributing to the problem. As an example, tote bags and reusable water bottles are two items that can be used multiple times in place of single-use plastics. Products that offer extended use are better for the environment because they stay out of landfills longer. Many reusable items are also designed from eco-friendly materials, making them even more beneficial.
2. Offering Alternatives to Plastic
Since plastic materials are inorganic and take a long time to decompose, compostable replacements are a welcome solution. Both products and packaging made from recycled paper or organic compostable materials can replace less eco-friendly plastic materials with few drawbacks.
For example, bags made from hemp or cotton are easily disposed of, leaving a better impact on the environment as they don’t contain toxic chemicals or harm the surrounding ecosystem as much as plastic alternatives.
3. Improving the Convenience Factor
While environmentally friendly promotional products provide sustainable alternatives to single-use items, they’re still designed to save time and increase efficiency. Many sustainable products are marketed for their convenience.
For example, reusable water bottles are practical because they allow consumers to refill them at any nearby water source — no more stopping at the store to buy plastic bottles of water because you ran out. The same idea applies to reusable tote bags. Once you invest in a few, you’ll always have them at home or in your car to use when shopping.
How the Promotional Products Industry is Becoming More Sustainable
These days, promotional product manufacturers are becoming more eco-friendly to support the growing market. A few ways you can make your business more sustainable include:
1. Seeking Sustainable Suppliers
In a healthy circular economy, used products are repurposed to reduce the amount of waste companies produce. If you want to implement a new line of products, find a supplier who can provide the sustainable outcome your customers want. It’s important for the supplier to abide by all current regulations. Find a supplier that provides promotional products your customers can compost, recycle or donate after use.
2. Educating Customers About Sustainability
Educating consumers about the importance of recycled products and other sustainable options will generate more interest, and eventually, more sales. When consumers understand why a product promotes sustainability, they’re more likely to decide that they need it. It’s also important for merchandising companies to advocate for responsible disposal methods, so customers understand how to recycle, compost or dispose of the items in eco-friendly ways.
3. Disclosing Efforts Toward Sustainability
In an effort to hold themselves accountable while taking efforts to keep their carbon footprints low, more companies are operating with transparency when it comes to eco-friendly practices. Increase your trust with customers by reporting carbon (CO2) emissions and disclosing your partners’ and products’ materials.
Some companies market using their transparency as a tool to build trust. By being completely open with the public about how you run your merchandising business through sustainable choices, you can create a reputation that draws consumers to you.
Take Strides Toward Sustainability With ePromos
As ePromos strives to become a more sustainable company, we work with several partners that care about making eco-friendly choices. We provide promotional products that can replace single-use items and promote eco-friendly consumer options. Check out our collection of environmentally-friendly and recycled products today!