This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of Proforma Green Marketing, 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.
Placing a company or organizational logo on a timepiece has been a cornerstone in the promotional products industry for many years.
Placing your logo on the face of a watch allows your brand to be seen again and again by the wearer of the timepiece. However it is the type of timepiece on which that logo is placed that tells the wearer the most about the organization from which the watch was given.
The mission of Sprout Eco-Friendly Timepieces is to simply “make the most eco-friendly watch we possibly can” and coming from a company that has been in the business of making timepieces for over 50 years, the company has an impressive list of claims supporting that mission statement.
By weight, the small size Sprout™ watch is 80% eco-friendly and the large size Sprout™ watch is 86% eco-friendly. What does that mean? It means making watches from sustainable and eco-friendly materials, for example their manufacture includes 99% biodegradable corn resin instead of traditional plastics, organic cotton and bamboo used in bands and faces, mineral crystal for lenses instead of plexiglass (so it can technically be recycled as all glass can be recycled), and using only mercury free batteries.
On top of that Sprout™ packaging is made from at least 80% post consumer fibers, and all Sprout™ watches are in compliance with the CPSIA and are lead and phthalate free. The corn resin used in Sprout™ watches is also in full compliance with the American ASTM D6400 as well as the European EN13432 standards for compostable material.
So all in all a rather bold eco statement from a very nice looking wristwatch. And happy, they look happy don’t they?
Of course this column is about eco-friendly promotional items, so it was very fascinating to recently learn that Castle Merchandising, Inc. (ASI 44315) is currently offering branded Sprout™ watches for an EQP price of around $37.00 per unit.
As well as being a great watch, I think Ecopreneurists should look at these timepieces as a great teaching tool. They are proof that a hip and functional timepiece – or indeed an common article – can be made from sustainable materials. I think these would be a great marketing idea for branding at the high school and college level, as well as for organizations working in the environmental space.
For more information on the retail Sprout sales please visit their website. If you are ASI, John Costelli is the contact at Castle Merchandising to speak with. If you are interested in the Sprout line 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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