This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of Proforma Simonetta Freelance, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see proformagreen.com). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.
For readers that have decided that 2010 will finally be the year to move the office away from polystyrene and paper cups to reusable mugs at the old coffee machine, here are a couple of ideas on popular models under $2.
Norwood offers two budget mugs under an EQP of $2, the aply named 11oz. Budget Mug at $1.25 and the 11 oz. Color Accent Budget Mug at EQP $1.79. While the basic Budge Mug might be one of the best selling mugs in the industry, the Color Accent Budget Mug is really the stand out here, as it allows for a lot of color at a low price. The imprint area on both mugs is 2-1/2″w x 1-3/4″h, with a three color maximum for artwork.
A nice trick to get the most out of the Color Accent Budget Mug is to pick a color band that matches or mixes well with your company or organizational logo. Maybe red accent with a blue logo or gray accent with black logo. With a good mix it is like getting a two color imprint for the price of a one color mug.
Glass America by far has the largest assortment of under $2 mugs, clocking in with 15 models with EQP pricing running from $1.09 for their 11 oz White Budget model to $1.99 for their to 16oz Latte Grande which can double as a small soup bowl.
Two bucks can also get you a bit of style at Glass America in the form of their popular Ribbon, Taza, and Camper Collection (shown at left).
The Hampton mug from Glass America comes in a whopping 11 color choices, which is pretty good for a budget 11oz. mug that has an EQP of $1.45.
Having a discussion about mugs in the promotional products industry is a bit like talking about pens, there are just 100s of ideas out there as these items are so common to the industry. Plus in addition to traditional ceramic mugs, there are whole families of mugs made from corn plastic, glass, and other eco-friendly materials, so it is really one of those items where a buyer needs to consider their audience and budget and their expected ROI when picking a model.
For the switch to reusable mugs in the office really any mug will work. A simple coffee mug is really a great first step in the longer process of going green in the work place.
If you want to splurge and go above $2, take a look at the websites of the manufacturers mentioned to see an even larger selection of items. If you are interested in mugs to promote your own business, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.
Adventures in Green Marketing 
Awesome Mugs! How about eco-friendly thermoses and water bottles?
Those are available as well. Take a look at the websites mentioned in the article or email us at info@proformagreen.com.
I see so many cups wasted on a daily basis in my office. It would be great if our company provided every worker with a cup like this to help reduce waste and possibly even save them a little money.
switching out from paper / Styrofoam cups is probably one of the most simple changes a person or office can make towards a less wasteful lifestyle. not only is it nicer to drink out of a mug… in the long run itll be much cheaper.. some things just makes sense, this is one.