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Clean & Green: Trending Eco-Friendly Promotional Products

By Aileen Flaherty 

A desire for eco-friendly products seems to be more than just a trend. Not only are younger generations especially passionate about sustainability, now all age groups increasingly care about their carbon footprint and the reusability of items. The 2023 ASI Ad Impressions Study reported that 46% of consumers (end-users aka recipients of promo products) felt more favorable about an advertiser who gave them an environmentally friendly promo product. This is very important in the promotional products space for multiple reasons. First, end-users want sustainable, biodegradable, recyclable products, so your end-buyer clients should be considering products with these features (since the promo they pick directly impacts how end-users view their brand). Second, many end-buyers have their own corporate and personal initiatives around a cleaner and greener world, meaning you should be presenting promo that aligns with their goals. We’ll tell you what you need to know to pitch sustainable options and which eco-friendly products are trending. You’ll see how easy it is to be green while making green!

Facts in the Stats

Just how important is sustainability to your customers? According to the State of the Industry 2024, in 2023, 25% of distributors said that clients asked for more socially responsible products. The figure was highest for distributors with revenue over $5M at 43%, which means that larger companies ask for these types of products more. This means if you’re calling on a large business, you must be prepared to suggest eco-friendly items.

8 Important Sustainable Materials in Promo

Here are some materials you should know when looking for eco-friendly promos to present:

  1. Bamboo – Bamboo is a fast-growing grass that reaches its maximum height in one season. Unlike hardwood trees, it can regenerate and return the next season. It can be used in a variety of hard goods (like mats, coffee cups and utensils), as well as made into fabric.
  2. Hemp – Strong and durable, hemp grows quickly without the aid of herbicides, fungicides or pesticides, and it needs less water and land. When blended with other fibers, it creates a soft fabric.
  3. Organic Cotton – Organic cotton is grown without chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and does not use genetically modified (GMO) seeds.
  4. Recycled Cotton – Recycled cotton involves using pre- and postconsumer waste (which includes scraps on a factory floor or old tees returned to a clothing company). The fabric is shredded and spun back into yarn without dyeing or water usage.
  5. REPREVE – A brand of polyester that’s made 100% from recycled materials including post-consumer plastic bottles and pre-consumer waste. These items are broken down and eventually spun into fiber.
  6. rPET – Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (yup, it’s a mouthful) is recycled plastic. Items like plastic bottles and packaging are broken down into flakes or pellets that can be reused to make other items, including fibers for apparel!
  7. TENCEL – TENCEL is the brand name for lyocell, a fiber created by dissolving wood pulp. A great alternative to rayon, it’s made using environmentally responsible production processes, and is compostable and biodegradable.
7 Certifications You Should Know

There are tons of certifications related to the environment. Although not the most exciting aspect of selling, it’s important you’re familiar with the most common certifications you’ll come across in the promo industry. You’ll come across these while sourcing products for customers:

Product Specific:

  • GOTS – The Global Organic Textile Standard certifies apparel and home textiles are made with certified organic fiber.
  • GRS/RCS – The Global Recycled Standard and Recycled Claim Standard are globally recognized voluntary standards from the nonprofit Textile Exchange that verifies and tracks recycled raw materials for clothing through the entire supply chain.
  • FSC – The Forest Stewardship Council offers different certifications to ensure products coming from forests provide environmental, social and economic benefits. You’ll see these certifications most commonly with paper products.
  • bluesign – The bluesign certification is another for the apparel/textile industry to ensure sustainable materials and chemistry are used.

Company Specific:

  • B Corp – The nonprofit B Lab audits companies for legal structure, supply chain practices, philanthropy, customer relations and employee engagement. High scoring companies that also pass a risk review are awarded certification.
  • EcoVadis – EcoVadis rates companies on sustainability across 21 indicators in four themes: environment, labor & human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.
  • 1% for the Planet – Members of this network donate 1% of gross sales directly to environmental nonprofits.
How To Find Sustainable Promo Products

Don’t worry, you don’t have to keep track of all the sustainable materials and certifications out there to find eco-friendly promo products. ESP+ has filters for Sustainable Materials and Sustainable Production so you can easily find products that meet these standards without hours of research. When you search, filter for these selections. Then, on the Product Detail Page, scroll down until you see the Product Information section on the right. Click on the “Eco Certifications” dropdown, which will provide you with materials and production details.

Tell Customers: Reusability & High Quality Are In

Even beyond just the materials of promo products, the reusability and quality of an item matter. One-time use promo products just won’t fly with earth-conscious consumers. Make sure the products you’re pitching to your customers are reusable, like apparel, writing instruments, drinkware, tech accessories, etc.

Don’t forget to remind customers they can’t skimp on quality. Poor quality promos won’t last and therefore, can’t be reused. Not only does this mean the end-user may have an unfavorable opinion of the advertiser (eek!), but if a product isn’t being used, it isn’t being seen. Less impressions leads to less ROI for your customers. Advise them to invest in quality promos that will keep their logo repeatedly in front of consumers.

Trending Eco-Friendly Products

Now, we’ll cover just a small sampling of the many environmentally friendly promo products you can present.

It’s in the Bag, Baby

Reusable bags are increasingly popular, especially with laws limiting plastic bag usage. Suggest clients opt for bags and totes made from recycled materials:

  • The Big Sur: These high-quality foldable totes from supplier BYBBA (asi/42442) are made from nylon derived from 100% recycled ocean plastic.
  • AWARE™ Recycled Cotton Gusset Bottom Tote: By scanning the QR code on the hangtag of this bag from Gemline (asi/56070), you can trace the entire journey of sustainable components used. Shop ESP+ for more AWARE items (which also come in under $10!).
Time for Tech

Few promo items have as difficult a time being eco-friendly as tech accessories, which often have components like batteries and circuit boards. Suppliers are now looking at incorporating recycled materials into the casing or considering sustainable methods for imprinting.

Check out these Earth-friendly tech options:

Pitchin’ in the Kitchen

Promo kitchen accessories have also seen an eco-makeover in recent years. There are now a variety of sustainable options you can suggest to customers:

  • Bees Wrap Large Sandwich With Tie – Made with certified organic cotton, beeswax, organic jojoba oil and tree resin, this bees wrap from Jornik Manufacturing Corp. (asi/63549) replaces plastic wrap.
  • Reusable Food Storage Bags – You don’t need plastic bags to store food, thanks to these silicone food bags from Uniprint Inc. (asi/92491).
  • Swedish Dishcloth – Replace paper towels with this eco-friendly option from Fey Promo (asi/54040).
  • Bamboo & Slate Charcuterie Cutting Board – As we mentioned earlier, bamboo is a fabulous sustainable material, making this cutting board from Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) a winner!
Stay Clean & Green

To properly meet the growing consumer demand, make sure you’re presenting eco-friendly options to your clients. You’ll also want to stay on top of trends in sustainability. We highly recommend you visit and bookmark ASI Promo for the Planet, a website that contains everything you need to know about being eco-conscious and selling promo. It will help you stay clean and green.