In 2000, Americans recycled or composted nearly 70 million tons of material, up from 34 million tons in 1990, according to Washington-based National Recycling Coalition Inc. A recent J.D. Power and Associates study revealed that U.S. sales of gas/electric hybrid vehicles could approach 500,000 by 2006. And since the 1987 signing of the Montreal Protocol treaty, the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting substances has been reduced drastically.
With the increased focus on the environment, some companies are marketing themselves with environmentally friendly, or "green," promotional products. In 1991, McDonald's teamed up with Global ReLeaf, an education and action program of Washington-based American Forests® to distribute 9 million seedlings in plastic tubes to customers nationwide. Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc. uses organic cotton (grown by farmers who use biologically-based rather than chemically-dependent growing systems) for its line of T-shirts sold in company stores and franchised scoop shops.
With the increased focus on the environment, some companies are marketing themselves with environmentally friendly, or "green," promotional products. Items include seedlings in plastic tubes, seed packets, gardening tools, Bamboo plants in mini vases, and products such as T-shirts, tote bags, baseball caps, mouse pads, playing cards, pencils and coasters constructed of recycled, reclaimed or organic materials.
Environmentally friendly promotional products include seedlings in plastic tubes, seed packets, gardening tools, pruning gloves, watering cans, tote bags, garden aprons, Bamboo plants in mini vases, sun visors, and books such as The Old Farmer's Almanac, The Gardener's Companion and The All Season Garden Journal. Promotional products manufacturers also offer items such as T-shirts, tote bags, baseball caps, mouse pads, playing cards, pencils, coasters and more. The products are constructed of recycled, reclaimed or organic materials, including tires, plastic bottles, denim, newspaper, U.S. currency and circuit boards.
Plants in imprinted pots can be given as holiday gifts to clients and employees; distributed to customers at trade shows and other events; used as centerpieces at company meetings, retirement parties and celebration dinners; and given as recognition gifts to top employees. Document firms can send clients and prospects seed packets sporting phrases such as "Watch your business grow with our design and fulfillment services," "Plant the seeds and watch the results with our e-commerce solution," and "Partner with ABC Printing Company and watch your company grow." Businesses also can send customers imprinted packets of "forget-me-not" seeds along with letters reminding them of the companies' products and services.
Recently, when a real estate appraiser was looking for a client holiday gift, he turned to Multi Business Forms, a 20-year-old distributorship in Darien, Ill. "He called me up and said, 'I want to send something to my accounts as a Christmas gift, but I want something that's going to last a long time,'" says Gail G. Warren, the distributorship's president. "He didn't want something like a pad a paper that his customers were going to use up and throw away because his name would be gone."
Multi Business Forms provided the real estate appraiser with 100 3-foot-tall philodendron plants. The plants were potted in metallic-gold pots screenprinted in green with the appraiser's company name and logo. The appraiser sent a plant to each of his commercial customers, including financial institutions, real estate firms and property surveyors.
The appraiser was thrilled with the plants' success. "Every time I talk to him, he'll say he visited one of his bank customers and saw the plant sitting in the lobby," Warren says.
--Kara S. Carpenter
Ion® gel-ink pen. Produced by Lincoln, R.I.-based A.T. Cross Company, the 3.5-inch palm-sized Ion pen features a translucent grip and can be opened and closed with one hand--making it ideal for signing autographs, according to the manufacturer. The pen is available in a variety of futuristic colors, includes a clip attachment and can be refilled with six different shades of ink. Courtesy of A.T. Cross Company, Lincoln, R.I.
