– you know it makes sense!
It’s a sad fact that one million plastic beverage bottles are bought every minute around the world, yet recycling rates remain low and many of these containers go to landfill, or into the sea.
Many people think that the promotional market is a strange place to position an ecologically-conscious business, given the perceived throwaway nature of the industry. But think gift-aways rather than giveaways. Effective change is often best achieved from within.
Everyone wants to promote their business, but many of us don’t have enough time or opportunity. This area of marketing often gets put on the back burner because of these constraints or we just don’t know how best to approach this.
The key to success is based on continued research and having a supply chain that is based on close partnerships with favoured manufacturers. This translates into confidence in knowing your promotional items don’t increase your carbon footprint.
Choosing the right supplier for your promotional items for your office, workplace and shop floor takes away the time-consuming journey for the hard-pressed buyer or marketing department.
A very small shift can amplify your brand and help towards achieving your CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy. Your company’s reputation can be increased in your marketplace and deliver long-term benefits that are acknowledged by your existing customers, potential customers and your own team.
Simple eco solutions
- In the UK we drink around 95 million cups of coffee a day, at home, at work or on the go. So, make sure reusable branded takeaway cups and mugs are available rather than single use drinkware.
- Keep everyone hydrated with a refillable water bottle not only with company logo and tagline, by why not add a personalisation too, so that everyone has their own name on the bottle. This also makes a great “thank you for your business” for a recent client, or a wonderful way to connect with someone that has not dealt with you for a while.
- We typically have between two and four branded promotional items on our work desk. We keep these for up to four years. So why not give a 100% recycled Mouse mats, with a special surface for an optical mouse and a coordinating coaster with a large branding area delivering your message continually for a few pounds?
- Maybe a smart bamboo pen? There are many lost cost, high delivering options available.
We can suggest three helpful rules to follow:
- Choose the best quality within your budget
- Look for usefulness
- Aim to be different in your approach
And rule 3 ½ – like what you buy
Brand relationships – yours and others
It’s important that you love your brand. If you don’t, how do you expect others to? If your logo doesn’t make you proud, change it. The costs are small given the long-term benefits.
The promotional merchandise market is close to 1 billion pounds in the UK, so make your branded goods work as hard as possible for you, for the least outlay.
The American entrepreneur Ja’el Mosley said, “before you wear anyone else’s logo, wear your own.” Own branded workwear engenders a cohesive feeling in comfortable garments that are smart and fit for purpose. Clients have confidence in a well-presented team at an Expo, training session, sales conference or on site.
One of the projects we are working on now is a range of clothing that is that is described as circular textiles, so clothing is made from
- 30% previously worn clothing
- 20% off cuts
- 50% recycled polyester
The recycled polyester makes the material strong enough to re-knit and re-weave. This gives a great ecological advantage and an improved ecological footprint.
The background of Breeze has come from a love and engagement of the marine environment, so sustainable, recycled, recyclable and biodegradable products are always on our agenda. This is our ethos, our DNA.
It’s a huge task to tackle the reduction of throw-away branded products, but viable alternatives at sensible prices are now available for business use. With the right partner you can source products that suit your company profile, within your budget,
Paul Carvall runs Breeze Promo specialising in all branded promotional merchandise and workwear. Contact Paul on 020 3096 7259 or email paul@breezepromo.co.uk.
