Promotional Products that are as Green as Grass
When I set out to update readers on the latest eco, bio and green products, I didn’t think I’d actually be writing about growing green merchandise, but here we go!
AdBand supplies a comprehensive range of customised wristbands, lanyards, balloons, watches, keyrings, etc. The company also prides itself on
producing promotional material that is recycled and recyclable and, for the
purposes of this article, is featuring its new and up-coming (excuse the pun)
‘Garden in a Tin’. 
Georgina Wild, Sales Supervisor, said, “We want to educate our customers to the importance of using sustainable products and informing them that recycled and recyclable products are the way forward. The team here finds that promoting and selling recycled products is extremely rewarding, as we are all a part of making a change to the environment.”
The Garden can be printed around the outside of the tin with a full colour design. The seeds can be either grass, cress, or choose sunflowers or forget-me-nots for an even brighter appearance. Soooo cute!
Put it in a Sock
And keeping with the cute, but also green and extremely useful, we move
on to the MobiCleanTM from Anokimobi.
It’s a simple, handy and low-cost mobile phone screen
cleaner made from recycled plastic. It
consists of a sticker that has a soft recycled fabric on the front side and
'sticky' reverse side. Once stuck to a phone, the fabric upper can be peeled
off, used to clean the phone screen and then reapplied without mess or fuss.
The Mobiclean™ (pictured) can be branded with full colour designs and cut to custom shapes and sizes if you wish. The company has other eco-friendly products in its range, including the e-sock. Made from recycled plastic bottles, the e-sock is designed to be a practical and low-cost promotional item. Anokimobi has developed manufacturing techniques that use recycled plastic to create these ultra-soft socks that can stretch to fit different models of phone. There are two options available: a ribbed material with an aluminium tag for branding and a normal weave without tag, which can be printed with a one colour logo.
If you think your phone or Blackberry deserves more than a sock, you can treat it to an iPhone or Blackberry case, made from recycled leather and offered in a variety of colours and other materials by Peter Yates Leathergoods.
These luxury, but cost effective, phone cases also come in Sorrento PU, classic finecell leather or top-of-the-range calf leather. All are handmade to order in the company’s UK factory and available in just four weeks (optional express service also available), thus avoiding those lengthy overseas waits and incurring a larger carbon footprint.
The cases can be foil blocked or blind embossed and there’s also a range of iPad cases available in a range of materials and colours too. Minimum order numbers apply.
In the Bag
Keepme Bags provides a wide range of eco-friendly and recycled options across its product portfolio.
Steve Anderson, Commercial Director of Keepme
Bags, said, “Through the continued efforts of businesses like ours, more and
more companies and brands are recognising and embracing how flexible,
functional and most importantly, desirable, an ecologically sound promotional
bag can be.”
Keepme’s portfolio of paper, cotton, canvas, jute, JUCO and non-woven PP bags incorporates a range of styles, sizes and finishes to suit all budgets and promotional campaign objectives.
The JUCO range (pictured) is a recent addition to the portfolio. It’s made up of 75% jute and 25% Cotton, combining the best attributes of the two fibres to create a range of handheld, shoulder and bespoke shapes and sizes; all of which can be fully branded.
KeepMe’s range also includes custom laminated paper bags and canvas laptop bags, an ideal accessory for the executive market.
Green Drinking Vessel
Swiggies are ‘green’ drink bottles that can be used time and time again.
They are a new type of water bottle that allows you to drink and hydrate anytime,
anywhere. Thought to be the first totally hands-free bottles, Swiggies are contoured
to strap onto your wrist and comfortable to wear over clothing. 
Originally developed for runners, Swiggies are now used for many
sporting activities. They reduce the use of throwaway drink bottles that
clog land sites. Swiggies are made of FDA approved, food grade, BPA-free plastic,
the easiest plastic to recycle, making them a ‘green’ product. They are freezer
and dishwasher safe.
A perfect product to promote your brand for the 2012 Olympics.
Green Pens
As pens are one of
the most popular promotional items, it’s no surprise that writing instrument
supplier, Senator has advice on the subject and goods to offer.
Melissa Chevin, Marketing Manager at Senator, said, “Social and environmental concerns continue to have an increasing influence on the promotional merchandise market as buyers look for even greater use of biodegradable and recycled materials, low carbon footprints and supporting documentation to reinforce the eco credentials of products. Senator’s corporate mindset has always centred on environmental consciousness and sustainability, with every plastic writing instrument containing part recycled material.”
The company’s Super Hit Eco Ballpen collection which has a 95% recycled barrel now offers a new range of colours including fire orange, blackberry and shocking pink.
Everything
Environmental offers the affordable and recycled executive-style Ethic Pen.
The Ethic Pen dispels several myths about recycled items, firstly, that they
are more expensive and another that there’s nothing for the top end or more
expensive looking ranges.
The Ethic Pen is made using recycled plastic and
degradable metal (it rusts) and 250 pieces start at just 79p each printed in
one colour.
Everything Environmental supplies a range of promotional products including promotional confectionery, clothing, bagdes and bags. All items in its core range are made from recycled, organic, sustainable or ethically sourced materials and can all be printed in your client’s design.
Bio Range
As mentioned earlier some companies offer a complete
Bio Range and High Profile, a
leading UK manufacturer of standard and bespoke plastic promotional products, is
a case in point.
Utilising cutting-edge plastic manufacturing techniques, the
range is made with a starch-based material derived from the potato processing
industry. Depending on the humidity, heat and the local environment, all items
are biodegradable from two years.
The Bio Range currently includes desk accessories as well as sports items. The frisbees and boomerangs are particularly responsible additions to the range because, if they are lost while playing outdoors, owners can rest assured that the toys will biodegrade naturally. Other products in the Bio range include coasters, rulers, paperclips, bikes stands, pitch mark tools and moneyboxes.
Each item in the Bio Range is available in six standard colours: white, red, green, blue yellow and orange. The majority of the products available from High Profile have been created, designed and assembled in the UK.
10% off Mustard Merchandise
To celebrate the launch of Mustard Merchandise’s new website featuring eco and environmentally promotional products the company is offering 10% off all products for a limited period.
John Henderson of Mustard Merchandise said, “Being very green at heart, choosing the bike over car travel as a means to get into work, we are pushing eco and environmentally friendly products whenever we can. Not only do we like to do out bit for the environment, we feel these products are more aesthetically pleasing than there non eco-friendly counterparts.”
From the research undertaken for this feature it seems that not only are companies keen to supply eco and environmentally friendly products, they are keen to embrace ‘green’ practices in all or other areas of their business, which is surely good news for all of us and something other companies should consider following.
Carole Bull
Editor
Editor’s note:
If your company’s products were not featured in this article and you like them to be included in our news section, then forward me some details and a pic and we’ll be delighted to include your product news.
editor@promotionalmerchandise.org.uk
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