According to Wikipedia, in 2008, U.S. bottled water sales topped 8.6 billion gallons for 28.9% of the U.S. liquid refreshment beverage market, exceeding sales of all other beverages except carbonated soft drinks, followed by fruit juices and sports drinks. According to another study, in 2006, 38 billion plastic drinking bottles ended up in global landfills which will [only] begin to decompose in the year 2706.
If 2010 is finally the year your organization stops buying bottled water for employees (instead why not provided reusable drinkware?) and starts buying goods recycled from water bottles, here are a few items I suggest you think about. {Note: When I say recycled from water bottles I am normally using a shorthand term that our industry uses for items made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), a recycled material derived from used water bottles, yogurt containers, and like plastics.}
Following the lead of retailers like Patagonia, the promotional market offers many apparel choices of items made from recycled plastic soda bottles, often called Recycled Polyester.
In 2010 Ash City will offer 38 items made from Recycled Polyester, including their very popular e.c.o. fleece jackets and vests (EQP $39 -$47) and their new MEN’S RECYCLED POLYESTER INSULATED TEXTURED JACKET (EQP $99.00). Other items in the line included polos, performance sport shirts, caps and office bags, with enough selection (and price choice) to move the whole team to eco-friendly apparel.
Another manufacture to look at is Gemline which offers a number of bag and tote options, including their stylish Recycled Messenger Bag, and their new for 2010, “I USED TO BE A PLASTIC BOTTLE” 100% recycled PET fabric shopping tote.
Like some other manufacturers of rPET shopping totes, Gemline pre-prints their tote with a message, in this case the words “I USED TO BE A PLASTIC BOTTLE”, on the base of the bag to leave no doubt with your target audience that they are receiving / using an item made from used material.
The bag also offers a large imprint area for your organization logo or message. These study 13″L 15″H 8″W are a great substitute for the average shopping bag with a current EQP of $2.48 per unit.
But of course rPET is not just for shopping totes.
One of the more impressive bags to come out in 2009 was the Wilson® Eco Carry Bag from Norwood which is made from 100% recycled fabric. The Wilson® Eco Carry is also a 100% true golf bag, with the same weigh, feel, and quality construction expected from the Wilson brand. 
The only real difference is that this bag used to be water bottles. There are even matching Wilson Eco Core golf balls, in this case the center of the golf ball (not the outside shell) is made from recycled materials. The Wilson® Eco Carry has an EQP of $155.67.
In addition to these samples rPET is being used in the promotional industry for caps, tshirts, padfolios, backpacks, even golf umbrellas.
The point is that if you want to stop buying bottled water, and instead start buying items made from the thousands of bottled water bottles that are rapidly filling our landfills, the promotional item industry offers many options for your organization to be a little more green in 2010.
If you are interested in information on these items please take a look at the manufacturers websites, and the links to past articles from 2009. 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.
Adventures in Green Marketing 
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