subject: 4 Strategies to Green Up Your Promotional Product Buying Now [print this page] 4 Strategies to Green Up Your Promotional Product Buying Now
Small to mid-size businesses are deferring "green" initiatives (along with many advertising expenditures I might add) up to three years. Why? Because at this juncture it takes some green to go green. And if a company is bleeding red ink, the response is often "I'll be green tomorrow."
Green products are, in many cases, more expensive than their non-green counterparts at the present time. People ask if a product is made from recycled materials shouldn't it be cheaper? Not really, because reclaiming, recycling, repurposing, and reforming require new equipment and processes. We are definitely in the investment phase of the green movement. So expect prices on green products to remain higher for a while.
What can you do to begin instituting green initiatives in your promotions while still conserving funds? Here are four strategies to start greening up your promotional product buys right away:
1. Buy Less - Buying just what you need for a particular purpose or event will conserve funds and help eliminate waste, such as the pens you bought three years ago that are dried out but still sitting on your storage shelves and will eventually have to be thrown away.
2. Buy More - Even though it sounds contradictory to the preceding point, buying in bulk saves funds and the environment in multiple ways. First, you save by gaining volume price discounts. Second, packaging in bulk for shipping eliminates extra boxes for multiple small orders. Third, it comes to you in one trip, saving fuel and shipping charges that would be incurred over multiple orders. But always analyze your usage rate and calculate your need for the next ONE YEAR period. Many promotional products, particularly pens, do have a shelf and usable life. Rule of thumb for pens and paper products shelf life is maximum one to two years. Rule of thumb for the time it will take for you to get bored with your own promotions is six months to one year. So plan for shelf life and your need for novelty.
3. One Step at a Time - It can feel so overwhelming at first. So just take it one step at a time. When you run out of one of your usual promotional products, restock it with a greener product. Notice I didn't necessarily say "'green" product. If you've been using traditional petroleum-based plastic promotional products, restock with one that contains a bit of recycled content, choosing a greener product each time you reorder. Also notice that I said when you run out. Don't toss out cash in the trash by discarding your non-green items just so you can feel good about going green. Use up what you have before you send it out for recycling or waste.
4. Buy Locally/Domestically - As much as possible, try to buy from local manufacturers and suppliers. Keep in mind that even if you buy from a local distributor for promotional products, the product may have been manufactured half a world away. Specifying to your distributor that you want products made in the USA saves time, shipping cost, and fuel. It also helps support workers in the USA.
Heidi Thorne is a promotional products marketing consultant specializing in ecofriendly, USA and union made, and fair trade products. Her company, Thorne Communications, hosts a promotional product online shopsite, www.PromoWithPurposeShop.com, featuring these product categories. She is also editor of www.EcoFriendlyPromotionalProductGuide.com, a educational site to help B2B and association marketers learn more about ecofriendly issues relating to promotional products. Heidi has over 22 years in sales, marketing, advertising, and public relations, as well as over five years teaching at the college level.
