DON’T LOOK NOW, but—POOF!—the promotional products industry just went green. Green meaning, of course, eco-friendly—not violently seasick, uncontrollably jealous or oddly monochromatic. No longer is saving the earth simply a topic for college campuses and backstreet beat coffee shops. The environmental sloganeering has been replaced by actual conversation—which, it should be pointed out, never would have happened without the sloganeering—as big businesses wake up to the natural world around them. Suppliers and distributors are singing a new tune that is friendly to everyone’s ears. More importantly, end-users are purchasing environmentally responsible products and supporting conservational business practices. Even if they don’t realize it, or don’t want to admit it, consumers of promotional products are getting greener by the minute.
In addition to the hybrid car and ethanol push, General Electric, Wal-Mart and British Petroleum all have major environmental initiatives underway. And our industry is no exception; suppliers and distributors alike are implementing some unique programs and creating innovative products that do as much to keep the green movement going as the giant monoliths of corporate America. These industry businesses can be seen as shining examples of simple ways to get involved while improving the bottom line.
SOLIO—USING THE SUN TO POWER YOUR CELL PHONE
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much that is revolutionary about a solar cell phone charger, but oh how looks can be deceiving. Made by Better Energy Systems of Berkeley, Calif., the Solio, a universal, portable hybrid charger, is truly a step (or two) above. With its unique three-blade design and recycled plastic shell, the Solio eliminates the need for “old-fashioned” wall chargers by collecting and storing solar energy. Then, once the item is imprinted with a company’s logo, end-users simply can plug in a wide array of portable devices, such as cell phones, MP3 players, digital cameras and PDAs. For those in gloomier climates such as Seattle, have no fear—Solio also comes with a wall charger in case the sun doesn’t shine for some time. While it provides a cutting-edge electronic device (and turns other electronic items carbon-negative), the true benefit of the Solio may be the effect it has on its users. The company doesn’t want simply to provide portable electricity: It wants to change the way people think about the environment. “It’s putting renewable energy in people’s hands in a very personal, renewable way,” said Mike Levin, business development manager at Better Energy Systems. “It’s one thing to put [solar panels] on your roof. It’s another thing to put them in your hand where you use them every single day.” Furthermore, by making solar technology part of the everyday experience, Solio is seeing its users make environmental steps in other areas. “Our research has found that our users are making other environmentally conscious decisions,” added Levin. “We want to break down the barriers of environmental responsibility so people don’t have to make these huge leaps in terms of behavior.” In the end though, the makers of Solio know it isn’t enough to provide a product both perfect for imprinting and environmentally flashy with its green-ness; they need to provide distributors with a device that performs well and stands the test of time. Which they seem to have accomplished.
BELLA’s Fashion Ain’t Smashin’ The Meaning of Green
Sometimes the simplest actions make the most difference. Sharing a kind word or just holding the door open a couple of extra seconds for a stranger can be the one moment that turns an entire day around—or, what they call in the sports world, a “game changer.” This sort of singular moment happened when Dan Harris and Marco DeGeorge, owners of Los Angeles apparel manufacturer, Bella, decided to form an Environmental Action Committee within their company. The committee’s goal was to help the environment by creating an efficient company with a corporate culture that promotes eco-friendly practices. The first meeting this past February included a gift from the owners to each of the department heads who sit on the committee. The gift was a book titled, “Let My People Go Surfing,” by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of outdoor apparel manufacturer Patagonia. It detailed Chouinard’s eco-friendly, people-conscious business philosophy. The book was not assigned, mandated or required reading for the committee members, but simply given as inspiration for acting and thinking environmentally. In just a few short months, it is clear the program is a resounding success. According to Emily Berstch, who heads the committee, the changes at Bella have been both profound and surprising. “I keep peeling off more and more layers, and seeing more and more things that can be done,” said Berstch. Things like instituting a recycling program that accounts for 6,000 lbs. of scrap material and lowering the company’s waste management costs when collections dropped from twice a week to twice a month. But committee members didn’t just address business practices, they also worked with employees to reduce personal office waste. The company purchased refillable water bottles to eliminate disposable plastic ones—2.5 million of which are discarded by Americans every hour. For Bella and its employees, being green as a company is a matter of common sense and concerted effort. In the end, Berstch thinks being eco-friendly is just about, “breaking it down into the little step-by-step things that you can do in your daily life.”
Eco-Snugz?
The biggest enemy of the environment may not be the corporate polluter, the giant automobile maker or even big oil. The biggest enemy of the environment is the individual who throws up his or her hands and says, “I can’t make a difference.” Luckily for the environment, Charley Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing at Salt Lake City-based SnugZ USA, is not such an individual. SnugZ USA is a perfect example of going green from the ground up. From car pooling to cardboard bundling, the company is taking a practical approach, one that many companies and individuals would do well to notice. “I wish more people would be environmentally proactive because they wanted to, because they thought 10, 15, 50 years down the road,” said Johnson. In the end, not all companies will be able to make sweeping changes, so taking an incremental approach seems prudent. So, is using overrun lanyards to bundle new products or using recycled neoprene as a way to clean up in-house inks going to change the planet? Well, yes, it just might.
Better Business Means Being Green at Logomark
Speak with Damian Want, senior vice president at Logomark, Tustin, Calif., and it quickly becomes obvious he knows the advantages going green can bring to a large company. Far beyond the traditional support for car poolers (a program the company utilizes, by the way), Logomark has an environmental commitment with very healthy, business-based roots. And in California, keeping high environmental standards is a must. It all begins with Logomark’s new state-of-the-art facility. Built a little more than a year and a half ago, the “smart” factory takes into account many aspects and traditional shortfalls of the promotional products industry. The innovations are both efficient and sensible. For example, sensors installed throughout the factory floor recognize when an area is in use and when it’s idle. Lights are then automatically turned on and off accordingly to give Logomark a built-in way to save on energy costs. Secondly, according to Want, “The whole building is insulated and sealed up to minimize our use of power.” In turn, all exhaust, fumes or particles must pass through a large filtering system before being released outside or returned to the factory. This allows Logomark to vent air that is cleaner than the air outside. Want also explained, “There is a quality benefit to handling all the particulate, dust and fumes in a responsible manner.” In short, the fewer particles floating in the air, the better quality of printing. “It’s a win-win,” said Want. Also of interest, the company’s strong commitment to recycling means it actually recycles more waste material than it discards. This is done through a combination of office-based recycling bins and the investment in an industrial cardboard bundler that allows Logomark to compact cardboard into two-ton bales and resell it. In fact, Want added, “The large initial cost of the cardboard compactor paid for itself in the recycling rebates we get.” In terms of running a green business, Want sees only an upside. “It’s not a negative at all. We’re saying that there are sound business reasons in terms of increased quality, healthy workers and lower costs in doing business this way,” he concluded.
DRUMMOND PRINTING, THE BIG GREEN PRINTING MACHINE
Employees at Drummond Printing, Stuttgart, Ark., know a thing or two about paper recycling. At the large-scale printing company, the understanding is vital. So, it is no surprise Andrea Barnes, vice president of national sales and marketing, said choosing recycled paper may not be enough. “People really need to question what type of recycled paper it is,” she said. “What you want to look for is paper that is all or a percentage of post-consumer pulp.” If it does not specify post-consumer, then it simply may be paper a mill or printer had left over and re-tasked to a different job. To this end, Drummond Printing teamed up with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a mill watchdog agency, to certify the amount of post-consumer pulp in the recycled paper they use. As long as there remain large-scale printers not using recycled paper, Barnes sees the program as essential, and noted, “I just think if everybody does something small, it can make a real difference.”
ORGANIC TEES AND THEN SOME AT ANVIL
The marketplace rules. Supply and demand dictate what’s made, when and for how much. It’s a system that at times leaves the environment completely out of the equation. Though more recently, Mother Nature is part of the discussion. Anthony Corsano, CEO of New York-based Anvil Knitwear, knows running a green business is good business. The new line of clothing, AnvilOrganic, was born because of this business concept. “We thought that there was just a basic business need. We felt that there were a lot of major companies out there that have corporate colors or lots of teams that want to promote team colors [organically]. So it made sense to do it,” he said. But the Anvil commitment does not end with the product line. “We recycle energy in terms of steam,” noted Corsano. “We use hot water that would normally be flushed back out into the waste system and heat the incoming water so we don’t have to use energy to heat it.” It’s a commonsense business practice that seems to be catching on as people realize adding green can add a little black to those quarterly earnings. “Forget the fact that [I] want to do as much as [I] can to help the environment. From a business standpoint, it’s even an easier decision, because nine out of ten of these initiatives save money,” he said. Aside from being fiscally responsible, Corsano finds it isn’t difficult to strike a nice balance between business and the environment. “It’s not about having to change your manufacturing process in one fell swoop,” he said. “It’s about making the changes when they are appropriate and when they make sense.”
Lavender and Green Dreams at Aromas For Giving
Vicky Rathje was running a small business selling scented therapeutic oils when she noticed an interesting trend. More and more of her customers began inquiring about all-natural and organic products. “No one was really doing it,” said Rathje, owner of Aromas for Giving based in Santa Rosa Valley, Calif., so she decided that she would. “The initial investment of being organic was higher, but in the long run, our operating costs are probably lower from being organic than nonorganic,” said Rathje. Now, she is a USDA-certified lavender grower with 10,000 plants. Aromas for Giving’s line of therapeutic oils, lavender bouquets and lavender sachets are all imprintable and are not only environmentally responsible, but make for one of the nicest (smelling) promotional products a distributor can find.
