Gold Bond and their EcoFinity line are gearing up for Earth Day. These new flyer from Gold Bond came to our office today. I am expecting many more ideas in the weeks leading up to Earth Day.
Gold Bond Earth Day Flyer
If you are an ASI distributor looking for sustainable solutions visit the GOLD BOND website. If you are interested in getting sustainable mats for your company or event, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
The doormat has always been a first impression item, whether for a business or home. A bright and friendly welcome mat goes a long way towards creating a warm introduction to your business.
Devon Corporation has been making Made in the USA mats for the promotion industry for over 45 years. Today Devon features many size options of single color and multicolor quality floor mats for businesses of all types.
At the ASI Dallas show I got to see several Devon mats on display, including the USA made Devon EcoMat, made from at least 50% recycled materials. At ASI I was told that the mat I was shown was made from bottle caps, the twist-off version from your standard water bottle. Water bottles, their caps, and other recycled plastics have all become ingredients in the RPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) material being used throughout the promotional products industry on items from caps to water bottles.
Devon works from .eps art files and can pretty much reproduce any artwork on their mats. The mats are rated for both indoor and outdoor use.
One drawback, if you can use that word, is that the EcoMat suffers the same problem as other eco material items, in that you cannot tell from looking at this item that it is made from 50% or better recycled materials. If the sustainability message is important to your marketing project, I would suggest you work the recycled symbol into the artwork of the mat. Devon might also want to think about labeling the reverse of their mats with the recycled symbol and more information about their recycled content.
Take a look at the videos. Remember all mats are USA made and that decoration on the recycled content mats is in no way limited. The source material for a EcoMat is the only real difference. If you are a business with a sustainable message, first impressions do make a difference. The Devon EcoMat is a great way to make a sustainable first impression.
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If you are an ASI distributor looking for sustainable mat solutions talk to Rhonda at Devon. If you are interested in getting sustainable mats for your company or event, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
Why? Because they are a good idea. It is much easier to pack a foldable BPA-free bottle into a purse, glove compartment, or backpack than a solid water bottle. And when needed these empty bottles can much more easily – and for less cost – be mailed.
Yes, these are not going to hold up to the same punishment as a h2go-v volt style stainless steel bottle, but so what, the stainless steel bottle is 3x the cost and targeted at a different audience.
Where would I suggest using the new folding bottles? Airports. Anything to do with marketing to folks getting on planes. This is a super lightweight item they can place in their carry on. Once they are through security, fill the bottle up at the nearest water fountain and board the flight. Simple.
Frequent travelers would hold on to these forever, all the while getting your brand into that business networking club that is the first class cabin. (Yes I can see these in first class, water is water people, and those tiny little glasses up there just do not cut it on a 16hr business trip to Asia from the US).
Where else? School and clubs. Same idea, sort of. Play up the easy to store idea. Use them for a long trip, when you are done fold up and toss in child’s backpack. Simple.
Going the other direction we actually pitched these to a Dallas bar know for a signature Margarita. The idea was to serve the Margarita in a freezer-safe, custom shaped HydroPouch from Jetline, which would be great out on the bar’s porch in the Dallas Spring and Summer. Be creative.
I would say expect more pouch bottle designs as 2012 continues. So pick your bottle. Pick your ASI contact, Kim Gasparini at Numo Manufacturing, Jon Granek at Jetline, Mary Beach at Leeds, or contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
When we were at the State Fair of Texas talking about sustainability, it was fun to point out that the rPET caps from USA Headware we were showing were made of the same 100% recycled content rPET materials found in the seats of the Nissan Leaf.
What got our attention at ASI Dallas was that USA Headware can take that same material, and go from the standard – and rather plain – caps we showed at the State Fair, to pretty much any custom cap design that they could have produced using virgin materials.
Take a look at these two videos we shot at the ASI Show at the booth for USA Headware. In one we are talking about sustainable solutions, in the other we are pitching custom caps to a client of ours called the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).
Notice the background does not really change. Why? Because it really did not need to change. Virgin polyester from petroleum or non-virgin polyester from old water bottles (i.e. rPET), the point is today it simply does not mater. The caps look the same regardless of source material. The costs on a custom job runs about the same regardless of source material.
So all that really matters now is the client: the company or organization asking for the caps and if, as they are starting their marketing project, they want to think about a more sustainable alternative.
If that company or organization is promoting a sustainable message, they better choose to go with the sustainable cap.
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If you are an ASI distributor looking for sustainable cap solutions talk to Buck Hogle at USA Headware. If you are interested in getting sustainable caps for your company or event, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
First, there is nothing particularly sustainable about Gund stuffed animals.
They not made from recycled materials, they do not have organic cotton stuffing. The reason I wanted to talk about Gund bears – available to ASI via Vitronic Promotional Group - on this blog is because I recently found out that these bears at child safe, to age ZERO. This is not something Vitronic mentions on their website. Perhaps it is something Gund just assumes people know about their products. But it is very, very important.
You see, in our industry there are a lot of items out there – including stuffed animals and rubber duckies – that look a lot like toys, but are not toys, by which I mean they are totally not child safe.
If you are running a program like the one done by the San Antonio Police Department’s “Teddy Bear Program” (stuffed animals are handed out to children who have either witnessed or been a victim of a crime to provide them comfort during a difficult time) or one of the many programs where bears are handed out in hospital settings, for example, it is a really good idea to make sure those bears are kid safe. (At ASI we all remember the Shrek glasses incident.)
If items are being given to children - moving past the whole targeting kids with marketing question – at a minimum you need to make sure that those items are actually safe for children. Both to protect the children and to protect your own marketing effort. And if your are looking for stuffed animals, I really suggest you take a look at Gund.
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But do not take my word for the Gund safety standards, contact Vitronic Promotional Group and request documentation on these bears. If you are ASI and want to talk about Gund for your next project, contact Rory Campbell at Vitronic Promotional Group. If you are interested in the Gund bears to promote your own business, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
Energy conservation and sustainable practices are two goals that often go hand-in-hand. The USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard with Thermo-Strip from All In One is a Made in the USA product that fits in nicely with any energy savings program, as it is a simple tool to easily measure temperature in a room.
This is a great promotional item for folks in the heating and air industry as well as a great educational item to be used by cities and energy companies to help their customers maintain their most cost-effective use of energy in their home or office.
The USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard with Thermo-Strip offers a large 3 1/4”w x 3/4”h imprint area for your companies’, or programs’, logo and contact information. It also provides a write-in area for the user to place their targeted temperature range.
The USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard can be placed near a thermostat to indicate the current temperature as well as the ideal temperature settings for saving energy and money. This allows you to keep your brand and your message in front of your target audience throughout the year.
If you are an ASI distributor, you can get more information about the USA Eco-EZ-Tac™ BizCard from Marietta Pugliese at All In One. If you are interested in All In One products to promote your own business, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
Part of the Hit Green line, the #3617 Jute Tote is a 17″ W x 14″ H x 5 ½” D tote available in Beige, Light Blue, Green and Poppy.
The bag offers a nice 10″ W x 7″ H imprint area, and imprint matched to trim colors is an option allowing for a one color imprint that really pulls the entire look of the bag together.
On the sustainability front the #3617 Jute Tote boasts 100% natural Jute fiber construction, a natural vegetable fiber which is 100% biodegradable. Additionally the festive colors of the tote are created with Azo-Free dyes.
The natural look and feel of jute bags lends itself easily to spa and wellness focused marketing efforts. The size of the #3617 Jute Tote works well as a shopper, a spa tote, even a beach bag.
If you are a promotional items distributor looking for more information on the HitGreen line contact Chris Platt at Hit Promotional Products. If you are interested in HitGreen items including the #3617 Jute Tote to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information, pricing, and samples.
Reminiscent of times of THE Jerry, Jimi & Janis, the fun-colored Jerry, Jimi & Janis Stick Pens from Shepenco are listed on their website as a call-back to the way-out 60s, full of vivid colors that tickle the imagination.
Let’s Rock and Roll with our new JIMI™ stick pen. This bold fun design is sure to be the favorite of the Fun Crowd.
Regardless of their nostalgic appeal these pens are a modern example of Shepenco’s growing line of sustainable writing instruments.
The Jerry, Jimi & Janis stick pens are made from at least 30% post consumer waste material. This is a fun, colorful pen, great for recycling education and sustainable businesses that do not want a meek pen to promote themselves.
The new JANIS™ stick pen brings rainbow strokes of colors. Just writing with these stick pens will bring old memories into focus.
Each pen features its own unique blend of colors as well as a large 3/4” x 2″ imprint area that will work well for messaging and logos. All three styles are available as pencils & stick pens. All three styles – pen or pencil – contain at least 30% post consumer waste material.
We love them for all things fun, concerts, music promotions, theme parks, band and bar promotions, cruises, fundraisers, and music festivals.
The new JERRY™ stick pen will bring out that younger you. And if you don’t remember the 60s, well you can start your own new trend.
So if you’re looking for fun pen with a sustainable message, these Jerry, Jimi & Janis stick pens from Shepenco might just be the ticket to see your event “keep on truckin’ along.”
If you are an ASI member with questions about Shepenco Joyce Allen is the Shepenco contact. If you are interested in these items to promote your own business, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
20 oz h2go double wall 18/8 stainless steel water bottle, vacuum insulated with threreaded lid
In the sustainable arena it is generally agreed that for reusable drinkware, stainless steel bottles are safer and easier to maintain than aluminum, plastic, or glass. So the question then becomes, which is the better stainless steel bottle to promote your brand or event?
For 2012 I am voting for the h2go-v volt from Express Line. This 20 oz. double wall 18/8 stainless steel water bottle is vacuum insulated and features a high impact threaded lid. This vacuum insulated bottle keeps cold drinks cold. It also makes for a slightly heavier bottle, which I see as a plus for a promotional item, as the h2go-v volt has a heft to it that conveys value, strength, and quality, all words that most businesses would like to associate with.
To top if off, the Express Line offers the h2go-v volt with an amazingly appealing chrome finish. The chrome finish makes any logo pop brightly and is a much better canvas to your logo than the standard stainless steel natural finished offer on most bottles. But you’re not limited to this wow/bang chrome, indeed the h2go-v volt comes in eight finishes, with bright colors like apple, orange, and fire engine red leading the pack.
Express Line will even add a carabiner to the bottle for $0.50.
The Express Line offers many, many, many stainless steel drinkware options. I think the h2go-v volt beats them all when judged for functionality, classic design, and flat out coolness. The h2go-v volt is really most appreciated in person, when comparing apples-to-apples with another bottle, so I suggest you get your hands on one before doing any bottle buying in 2012.
If you are an ASI distributor Jarel Guerrero is the contact to talk to at Express Line. If you are interested in the h2go-v volt to promote your own business or event, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information, pricing, and samples.
