Eco products are rising in popularity, but as a responsible brand, what steps can we take to go green with our eco branded merchandise? Here are ten ways we can make good choices.

Many brands are acting more sustainably and responsibly today and the demand for eco-products is rising. Using eco-friendly products helps us reduce carbon footprint and uphold our role as thoughtful caretakers of our planet. Going green with products promotes self-sufficiency, has less reliance on electricity or toxic materials and reduces throwaway culture.

The ‘three r’ principle of reuse, recycle and reduce is a great motto to live by when looking to reduce the load on our already stressed environment. Whether a product is manufactured from recycled waste, uses sustainable natural resources, has reduced carbon footprint (less emissions, energy or chemicals) or raises eco-consciousness, this blog aims to steer you towards 10 good choices you can make.

1. Pick solar energy promo items

Solar energy items are great for clean energy. In our eco catalogue, which you can request on our website, the ‘tree power bank’ is a popular solar energy promo item to reduce carbon footprint. The tree power bank stores energy that hasn’t yet been used, with remaining capacity displayed on LED lights. And it’s made from eco-friendly materials.

2. Select sustainably sourced food

People care more than ever about where their food comes from today and how it was produced. So with that in mind, it makes sense to buy eco-friendly snacks. We’ve a whole range of eco food snack options – from snack boxes to a whole InspiraPacks combining food and products. For example, our ‘fuel bites’; tasty whole seed bites, with dried apricot in a printed branded box.

3. Remember, recycled paper 

We would all be hard pushed to find a person that didn’t care a hoot about the trees on our planet. They provide us with oxygen, suck up unwanted carbon and provide natural habitats for so many species. Recycled paper products are a great and obvious way to behave eco-friendly. We have recycled paper products that don’t use chlorine gas to bleach the paper, avoiding toxic chemical emissions. We think they actually look much nicer than the bleached paper.

4. Use upcycled natural waste items

Upcycled waste makes for great cups and pen ranges – this means reusing natural waste biproducts, produced throughout agriculture and food production. You can upcycle 44 types of waste, including coffee grounds from coffee chain stores and corn cobs from frozen food factories. These can be made into pens and cups with less carbon footprint than single-use man made materials, and create innovative uses for existing waste materials. Refillable pens in 100% recycled materials are very popular.

5. Pick sustainable materials 

When it comes to choosing eco materials, cork is incredibly sustainable. When cork is harvested, trees aren’t cut down. Instead, the bark is carefully stripped away by hand (a skilled trade that is passed down over generations). Bark grows back over several years, so it can be harvested. Cotton is another sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable material. Most chemical fibres are petroleum-based and come from non-renewable resources.

At Blank we offer a cork and cotton bag range. Cork laptop bags, briefcases and backpacks that produce less toxic waste and carbon emissions and break down in landfill. Also, natural fibre ‘bags for life’; including twill cotton bags with cork bases, jute and recycled cotton totes and felt bags. Add to your choice list – upcycled polyester bags, and brands that specialise in recycled and upcycled man-made materials – we like to keep the choices flowing!

6. Wear sustainable clothing

Why not take your corporate social responsibility as far as the branded clothing you wear? Clothes made of natural materials are safer for your skin and can be recycled. We offer clothing in duck down, like vests and puffer jackets – 100% traceable down to ensure birds are not force-fed, live-plucked, or blended with down from unknown sources. Other materials in clothing in our eco range contain recycled polyester. Some of our chosen brands have a ‘take-back’ system for recycling clothes – for when they are no longer wearable.

7. Change throwaway habits 

Travel ‘cutlery on the go’, for the professional, is a great way to cut down on waste that goes to landfill. From metal straws and cups to bamboo cups and wooden cutlery sets rolled up in beautiful canvas pouches with a popper fastening and containing knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks, straw and cleaning brush. Other handy options include wooden bottle openers, espresso scoops and bamboo lunchboxes. Bamboo utensils and other kitchen items never melt if left on a heating panel, don’t release toxins and need no specific chemicals to wash.

8. Pick eco everyday items

If you want to use small eco branded merchandise items to raise awareness, you can buy wooden toys (noughts and crosses), pick up sticks, wooden key holders and cork keyrings. Bamboo water bottles encourage reusable bottles over throwaway plastics. These small items can be great conversation pieces that lead to bigger environmental actions.

9. Favour wooden gadgets 

Instead of plastic merch products, why not choose wooden gadgets, desk trays, chargers and speakers made from sustainable wood – including mahogany, beech, and walnut. Way more eco-friendly than plastic items, eco branded merchandise is often more attractive too!

10. Think ‘less carbon emissions’ 

Items made using less carbon emissions are longer lasting than throwaway plastics and include lovely metal straws, which can become a ‘straw for life’ and kept in a handbag. In fact, Blank stocks a beautiful straw collection. Each set contains one straight straw, one bent straw and 1 milkshake straw, engraved with your company logo. These are supplied in a linen pouch with a cleaning brush.  There are bamboo options too. Having handy eco branded merchandise about your person, keeps your brand in the mind of those you are trying to engage with.

Just Ask!

We hope this has helped you on eco ideas for promo and have inspired you to be more eco-minded. For more inspiration you can request our eco catalogue on our website or request a chat with one of our team, who can take you through all the eco range and answer any of your questions. Just ask!

Our team can be contacted by email or live chat or you can ring us on 01792 560061.

After some more branded merchandise ideas? Check them out here.