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“A place to start is to look at what you give out”

17 Nov

A note from SproutWorld

Line Rygaard Christiansen, Marketing Coordinator at Formpipe

“The plantable pencils were a good place to start. We believe that changing small things to more sustainable solutions will make an impact in the long run. Being a sustainable business is a must if you want to be relevant now and in the future.” Line Rygaard Christiansen

We’re sharing another example of how one of our customers uses our plantable pencils.

Line Rygaard Christiansen works as a Marketing Coordinator at Formpipe, a software company that’s listed on the Scandinavian stock exchange.

Formpipe helps over 5,000 clients globally with digitalization and automation of business processes.

We asked Line how Formpipe uses SproutWorld pencils and why sustainability is an important message.

Hi Line – we are curious to know what you use the pencils for?

We mainly use SproutWorld pencils for 3 things…

1. Giveaways for events like a recent conference about the good digital life

2. Giveaways at fairs

3. As part of the Formpipe welcome bag for new colleagues

Why are SproutWorld pencils ideal for giveaways?

We acknowledge that being a sustainable, socially responsible organization is a process and journey as much as it is a goal.

Therefore, we started to change all our merchandize and giveaways into more sustainable solutions – the SproutWorld pencils were a perfect match for us.

It’s both a fun giveaway and a way for us to tell our customers and employees that we’re moving in a more environmental way, and we take responsibility for the things we can influence right now.

It makes sense for us to give away gifts that will last for a long time and keep reminding people of who we are.

What has the feedback been?

Everybody loves the pencils. The idea of giving our customers and new employees something sustainable and unique that they can use and plant afterwards makes so much sense.

We can’t wait to see all the new “forget-me-not”-flowers in our customers’ and employees’ homes and offices.

Do the pencils underline your work with sustainability?

A high priority for us is responsible procurement. We have an impact when purchasing from our suppliers: We maintain a practice for all resources our employees need to use for events, meetings, and fairs.

We want to buy locally produced or organic groceries, environmentally friendly cleaning products and office supplies, and products with recyclable packaging.

SEE WHAT OTHER SPROUT CLIENTS ARE DOING

If you are interested in these products to promote your own business, or if you wish to see some samples, email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

And as always, if you really want to do something sustainable, do not buy promotional products. All products are consumption at one level or another. So if you must buy, 1) Buy local (i.e. made in USA), 2) Buy useful, long lasting items, 3) Buy sustainable/recycled/recyclable products if possible.

Quickpoint Makes Your Client Healthier? Sure.

6 Apr

SAFEAD CELL PHONE PAD

A fast search easily locates an article on just how icky cellphones can get, they seem to be a breeding ground for germs. In an office environment this is yucky, in a medical or childcare environment, it borders on very dangerous.

I will leave it to others to describe what all we can be carrying around on our phones; this is a blog on promotional items, a bit more mundane than medical science and prevention. Well at least it was.

Enter the SafeAd Cell Phone Pad from Quickpoint. This item is designed to protect your smartphone face from the growth of harmful germs and bacteria. Ok, how?

The SafeAd line from Quickpoint features something called AgION™ Antimicrobial Protection, which safely inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew, yeast and fungus on the surface of products into which it has been incorporated. The idea is rather basic. AgION™ technology coats items with a crystallized powder that contains silver ions. These microscopic ions are released slowly over the life of the product and have a harmful effect on bacteria, i.e. they kill it.

The technology is approved by the EPA, and has been reviewed by the FDA. Quickpoint offers a much fuller explanation of what is actually going on at their website. Additional information can be located at the AgION™ site as well.

As a promotional item, the SafeAd Cell Phone Pad has a couple of natural audiences beyond the obvious use as a giveaway for phone retailers and manufacturers, specifically I would suggest to hospitals to add to current clean your hands programs, call centers or any other work environment where a lot of people share a small work area, and schools, with their large imprint area SafeAd Cell Phone Pad is a great medium on which to bring import school information for the incoming freshman class. Even better hand these out at the school clinic as part of your campus outreach program.

What else to say about the product besides it protects cell phones from the growth of harmful germs and bacteria? Well it is Made in USA, provides an anti-skid rubber base, protects the face of cell phones from scratches, gives great desktop advertising exposure boasting a 2-1/2” H x 4-1/2” W imprint area. Each unit comes poly bagged with instruction card.

Also, unlike Quickpoint’s mug, the SafeAd Cell Phone Pad is not defined by Quickpoint as a “green” promotional item.

If you are a promotional items distributor looking for more information on QuickPoint items contact Duane Mayer.  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.

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Eco-Friendly Door Hanger With A Purpose

23 Dec

Americanna – makers of the wildly popular World Famous Retread™ Magic Grip Jar Openers – have developed a simple door hanger made from the same 100% post consumer recycled tire material.

The reason I thought this simple item deserved a few words is that I really am not a fan of paper door hangers, whether they are placed on my home by marketers or on my hotel room door at conventions. (Yes we do print paper door hangers for clients, but that does not mean I have to like them. Also we use FSC paper).

Let us review the purpose of the door hanger ad. It is a small information sheet placed directly in view to provided a potential or existing client with information about a product, service, sale, etc. Indeed when placed on the door knob they are impossible to escape if you want to open the door in question.

However, what often happens to them? They get a quick glance and get tossed in the recycle bin. Why, because they really serve no purpose; once you have glanced at them, maybe cut out the coupon, what good are they?

Ok, enter the Door Hanger Retread™ Jar Opener from Americanna. This door hanger is different because it has a use, three actually. It can open jars, it can peel garlic, it can remove lint. And fourth it stands a much better chance of being retained by your target audience because of these practical uses.

If you are an Ecopreneurist – and your business is all about recycle and reuse – why not do a hard coupon on these door hangers. By this I mean printing something like, “Free Pitcher of Beer with 24″ Pizza when presented at ABC College Pizzeria”, or “extra half pound of coffee with order over $10 when presented to ABC Corner Coffee Shop”. Even “FREE WI-FI when presented at ABC Sandwich Shack”. You get the idea. This is a door hanger that will come off the door and inside the house.

And while it is being used to open pickles your client will be seeing your ad, again, and again. Another possible bonus, you only need print hangers once or twice a year because people will retain the ad. How is that for recycle and reuse?

Also a little tip during this holiday season, door hangers – of any variety – fit nicely on wine bottles. This is a very inexpensive way to place a client thank you on a bottle – of wine, olive oil, cider, etc – for holiday giving. They drink the wine and keep the opener.

EQP on the Americanna 9″ Door Hanger Retread™ Jar Openers is $0.48. If you are an ASI member Michelle Stiles is the contact to talk to at Americanna. 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.

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Super-Size Jute Shopper By Sweda

22 Dec

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.

In 2010 Sweda will be increasing the number of eco-friendly promotional items in their standard lineup. One of the standouts is their new Super-Size Jute Shopper, a really big bag at 13-3/4”h x 17-3/4”w x 6” with a large 7”h x 8“w imprint area. This is a size we normally just see in polypro and non-woven bags.

For the Ecopreneurist looking for a natural fiber bag to help promote their business the Sweda Super-Size Jute Shopper is certainly a bag to consider. Take a look at the video for a short overview of the bag. Unfortunately the bags in the video are not imprinted, so you really don’t get the full impact of how pretty these bags can be. Bag colors are Black, Blue, Green, Orange, and Merlot. They EQP at $7.99.

If you are a distributor and want more information on Sweda’s 2010 lineup of eco-friendly items – including the Super-Size Jute Shopper – contact Lakisha Higgins, Sweda Strategic Accounts.

If you would like to purchase these items for your own business please contact your local promotional items provider or email info@proformagreen.com.

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POKEN Go Beyond Flash Drives

15 Dec

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.

The green argument for flash drives goes something like this: Flash drives are a great way to get a lot of information to clients without having the need to print and ship thousands of pieces of paper. (And if they are made from eco-friendly materials all the better).

For example, think about a large conference, say with 10,000 attendees over four days. Printing and shipping all the information, schedules, data-sheets, presentations, and white papers for such an event is a huge cost to the budget and the environment. Why not just put it all on a flash drive, in a format that all the attendees can easily store, carry and share?

It is a good argument, however the POKEN allows us to take the idea to the next level. POKEN looks like a flash drives and sort of work the same way, as a tool with which to share data. The difference is that when two POKEN touch each other they copy – for lack of a better word – each other’s information.

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Eco-Friendly, Brandable, Kindle Covers

11 Dec

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.

Just in time for the holiday season Owl Line has released two eco-friendly covers for the amazingly popular Amazon Kindle. They are the Owl Kindle Book cover – style dimensions 8.375″H x 5.75″W x .75″D –  and Owl Kindle Easel – style dimensions 8.5″H x 5.625″W x .875″D. Both models come with the OWL id patch, explaining that the units are made from eco-friendly materials.

Both the Easel and Book models are offered in 100% post-industrial OWL™ recycled bonded leather model or 100% Post-Consumer recycled PET fabric with leather trim. Owl defines these two materials as follows:

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Ash City Partners With American Breast Cancer Foundation

7 Dec

Ash City USA – one of the leaders in eco-friendly apparel for the promotional items market – is partnering with the American Breast Cancer Foundation through their new “We’re Thinking Pink” campaign.

From the Ash City website, “Ash City USA is proud to announce it has become a supporter in the fight against breast cancer. With the recent launch of our “We’re Thinking Pink” campaign, we are joining in the fight to help fund research for the American Breast Cancer Foundation to help find a cure.

Money raised helps provide individuals, their families and their loved ones in financial need with direct financial assistance, education, support, and access to early detection screenings. ABCF supports research for innovative diagnostic, treatment and patient support methods through leading medical institutions.”

The deal is if you purchase any apparel or accessory item from Ash City and have your order decorated with the ABCF pink ribbon, Ash City will make a donation to the ABCF. Or, and this is even better, pick any pink product identified with the pink ribbon symbol in the Ash City catalog (no embroidery required) and Ash City will again make a donation to the ABCF. Here is a link to the press release.

Currently Ash City carries over 27 different styles in ABCF Pink, including eco-friendly items like the LADIES’ RECYCLED POLYESTER FLEECE FULL-ZIP JACKET (75% recycled polyester/25% polyester 4.9oz./yd2/165gsm anti-pill fleece. Overlay trim: 100% recycled polyester EQP $47.90), and LADIES’ ORGANIC COTTON/SPANDEX JERSEY LONG SLEEVE CREW (94% organic cotton/6% spandex jersey, 5.2 oz./yd2/175 gsm EQP $33.90).

For more information on this great campaign please contact Chris Clark at Ash City USA. If you are looking to purchase Ash City clothing for your own ABCF event or any other purpose, please contact your local promotional items distributor or email info@proformagreen.com for samples and pricing.

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Recycling Bottle Caps Into Signage

5 Dec

is 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.

The following is an interview with Ecopreneurist Alan Harris.

Alan is an artist based in DFW and the founder of BottleCapArtWork.com. The company uses used bottle caps to created one of a kind corporate signage and objets d’art for clients.

Alan’s creations are a great idea for any company whose product uses a bottle cap – here I am thinking brewers of every size and style –  and for restaurants and bars looking for unique storefront and point-of-purchase signage. For more information visit www.BottleCapArtWork.com.

QUESTION: So bottle caps. How and why?

ALAN HARRIS, FOUNDER BOTTLECAPARTWORK.COM: My endeavors with bottle caps started in college, mostly on a whim. It’s easy to throw away a bottle cap; they are so small and seem inconsequential.  But even all those years ago, I recognized in bottle caps their capacity to be a brilliantly colored part of a larger whole.  Some friends and I had been saving our bottle caps for awhile (mostly beer), and I began to experiment with patterns and colors on a large scale on a flat surface. I was a sophomore in college at Baylor University when I had my own delusions about making a “bottle cap table”.  Unlike many of my counterparts, though, I actually had the time, energy and audacity to follow through with my ideas.

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Owl Line Expands Into Recycled Leather

3 Dec

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.

Owl brand bags made from 100% Post-Consumer recycled PET Fabric have been a very popular line in the promotional products industry since their introduction in 2008. Now, in time for the holidays, the Owl brand is expanding into a full range of items made from recycled bonded leather, to include wine totes, computer bags, mouse pads, and fine wallets.

What is recycled bonded leather? According to the website for OWL Promo,  OWL™ recycled bonded leather is “truly unique in the market. No paper, wood or other fillers, just 100% leather fibers. Leather fibers are bonded together with natural rubber from the rubber tree – no toxic chemicals or harsh glues are used. Colors come from natural tanning oils and vegetable tannins derived from tree bark, fruits, leaves and roots. All dyes and pigments used are lead free. So only OWL™ recycled leather has the look, feel, and aroma of natural, full grain leather.”

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44 oz. BPA Free Geyser Collection From Glass America

9 Nov

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.

water bottle

Glass America has launched their new 44oz BPA free stainless steel Geyser collection. These huge stainless steel reusable bottles have an EQP of $6.99 with single color imprint. Although all Geyser bodies are finished stainless steel in color, the top accents are available in Black, Purple, Blue, Orange and Green.

At 44oz these are some of the largest stainless steel bottles on the market and will make excellent holiday gifts for any Ecopreneurist targeting the outdoor or active lifestyle set.

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