Tag Archives: ash city

100% Recycled 7-in-1 Jacket

13 Aug

Flame Red w/Light Grey

The 88142 MEN’S RECYCLED POLYESTER 7-IN-1 WIND JACKET WITH REVERSIBLE LINER from the Ash City e.c.o collection  is a 100% recycled content jacket that is 100% serious for cold weather (it has been over 100 degrees here in Dallas for the past week and I am dreaming of snow).

Look at the stats:

  • Outer Shell: 100% recycled polyester with water resistant finish. 2.9 oz./yd2/100 gsm. Full polyester taffeta lining.
  • Liner-woven side: 100% recycled polyester with water resistant finish.
  • Liner-reverse fleece side: 100% recycled polyester anti-pill brushed fleece. 4.3 oz./yd2/145 gsm.

Plus this is a jacket from Ash City, so regardless of materials used, you can expect all the extra perks, like flat reflective safety piping and reverse coil zippers on the jacket’s front and lower pockets.

The 88142 comes in four dramatic color choices, Captain’s Blue w/Light Grey, Flame Red w/Light Grey, Black w/Light Grey and Classic Navy w/Light Grey. The jacket also makes use of the Ash City Ezaway System® making for an easy conversion from jacket to vest (sleeves zipper off of the jacket, and 100% recycled material fleece lining is removable as fleece jacket).

The Ash City 88142 is a great option for staff jackets for any organization that has a commitment to sustainability, especially hotels and resorts that wanting to make a physical, visual, statements in their staff apparel that reflects their larger sustainable commitment.

Ash City does both screen printing and embroidery in-house, which means they know all the tricks to get the best look out of your artwork on their clothing. And since Ash City specializes in corporate apparel programs, adding the 88142 and other items of the e.c.o. collection into your existing apparel program is a snap. (Perhaps a recycled content performance polo makes more sense for the current heat).

For more information on the complete Ash City e.c.o. collection contact Chris Clark at Ash City USA. If you are looking to purchase Ash City e.c.o items for your own business contact your local promotional items distributor or email info@proformagreen.com for samples and pricing.

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Ash City e.c.o Apparel Included in FALL Sale

8 Aug

Ash City Fall Sale

Ash City has sent out the link for their US FALL SALES 2012 event.  The sale features savings of up to 88% on some items.

The virtual catalog for the event does feature e.c.o apparel on pages 9 – 11, including special pricing of $24 in the very popular 88630 MEN’S RECYCLED POLYESTER PERFORMANCE WAFFLE POLO and 78624 LADIES’ PERFORMANCE POLYESTER (from Bamboo Charcoal Nano-Particles) TWO-TONE JACQUARD POLO at $20.

If you are thinking of a new look for your Fall 2012 for event staff, employee uniforms, or event golf event polos, the US FALL SALES deals from Ash City are certainly have some great fashion forward ideas to consider. And if your looking to try out more sustainable materials, this is the perfect time to take the plunge and save some money. Also remember that Ash City can decorate at the plant, which also saves time and money.

For more information on the complete Ash City e.c.o. collection contact Chris Clark at Ash City USA. If you are looking to purchase Ash City e.c.o items for your own business contact your local promotional items distributor or email info@proformagreen.com for samples and pricing.

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Wearing Soybeans This Spring

25 May

MEN'S SOYBEAN COTTON SPANDEX JERSEY POLO NATURAL

I think my new favorite sustainable materials shirt has got to be the Men’s Soybean Cotton Spandex Jersey Polo from Ash City.

This blended fabric shirt not only looks great and takes an embroidery great, the material blend being used by Ash City, a mix of cotton, soybean, and spandex, gives this shirt one of the most luxurious feels I have ever experienced in apparel design for our industry.

First we need to address the soybean claim that is part of this shirt title. The claim comes from the use of Azlon in this shirt, with a ratio of 52% cotton, 43% azlon, 5% spandex for a 5.3 oz. material shirt. Azlon is a  synthetic textile fiber composed of protein material derived from natural proteins, in the case of the Men’s Soybean Cotton Spandex Jersey Polo from Ash City, the protein in question is from soybean.

The Men’s Soybean Cotton Spandex Jersey Polo is very lightweight, but seems to wear a bit warmer that a standard 5.3 oz cotton polo. And I am not the only person that thinks this, as the warmth point also is mention in the encyclopedia entry for azlon.

LADIES' SOYBEAN COTTON SPANDEX JERSEY POLO SURF SPRAY

“Used in apparel fabrics, azlon is soft and warm to the wearer. It absorbs moisture, does not accumulate static electricity, and does not become matted. It is chiefly used in blends with other fibres, contributing soft hand (characteristics perceived by handling) to fabrics for such apparel as coats, suits, and knitwear,” – www.britannica.com

Ash City offers their soybean creation (yes I know it is only partly soybean) in both a ladies’ and men’s cut with a retail price of around $35, so quality to quality is actually a bit less than a brand name traditional materials polo aimed at the same corporate apparel demographic. So, like most other polos in the Ash City e.c.o. line, the Men’s Soybean Cotton Spandex Jersey Polo offers the option of going green without necessarily spending more green.

For more information on the complete Ash City e.c.o. collection contact Chris Clark at Ash City USA. If you are looking to purchase Ash City e.c.o items for your own business contact your local promotional items distributor or  email info@proformagreen.com for samples and pricing.

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Water Bottle Jacket Hit at Live Green Expo

18 Apr

MEN'S LIGHTWEIGHT 100% RECYCLED POLYESTER JACKET

The Ash City 88136 Men’s Light Weight Recycled Jacket was a crowd pleaser at this weekend’s Live Green Expo in Plano, Texas.

Part of the Ash City e.c.o. line, the 88136 Men’s Light Weight Recycled Jacket is made from 100% recycled polyester. This material is mainly derived from water bottles and other items made from Polythylene Terephthalate that are recycled into new materials like the recycled content jackets and shirts sold by Ash City.

The Live Green Expo is held each year in Plano as a venue designed to educate the people of North Texas on the many different ways they can choose to “go green” in their daily life. Proforma Green Marketing attends the Live Green Expo each year to help educate the audience to the fact that from apparel to promo to printing, there is likely a better more sustainable marketing solution for the items most companies are already using.

This brings us back to the 88136 Men’s Light Weight Recycled Jacket. Really the only difference between this jacket and others sold by our industry is that the 88136 Men’s Light Weight Recycled Jacket is simply made from reclaimed materials. Jacket to jacket the quality of the 88136 Men’s Light Weight Recycled Jacket is the same or better than other light weight jackets on the market. The pricing is about the same, the choice of colors about the same, etc.

Indeed the fastest way to start a conversation at the Live Green Expo seemed to be to point at the 88136 Men’s Light Weight Recycled Jacket in our display and say “water bottle”. That would stop show attendees in their tracks and allow us a chance to tell them about our unique “going green” message.

Matching 65% Recycled Polyester Performance Waffle Polo

If you are an organization with a core belief in sustainability, using items like the 88136 Men’s Light Weight Recycled Jacket and other apparel from the Ash City e.c.o line is a simple way to tie your organization’s outward appearance, indeed outward projection, to those core beliefs.

For more information on the complete Ash City e.c.o. collection contact Chris Clark at Ash City USA. If you are looking to purchase Ash City e.c.o items for your own business contact your local promotional items distributor or  email info@proformagreen.com for samples and pricing.

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Ash City Has A Lot Going On

15 Aug

At least once a week I sit down to write about the great work going on at Ash City. Then when I try to actually get something together I just get overwhelmed. What am I going to focus on?

How about the constant growth of the Ash City e.c.o (ecological clothing options) collection? In 2007 it started with 2 units, now Ash City offers over 50 items in seven categories. Currently the line includes blends with Organic Cotton, Soybean Protein, Bamboo Fiber, Bamboo Charcoal Nano-Particles, and Recycled Polyester – RPET.

Why not talk about fabric testing and certification processes used at Ash City? Ash City works with SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, as well as Intertek Testing Service (ITS) and American Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists (AATTC), and many others.

Or even the outreach Ash City is doing in the community? For more than 10 years, Ash City has worked with Windfall, a charity providing new clothing and basic necessities to over 64,000 people in Toronto, Canada living in poverty. They work with the Breast Cancer Society of Canada (BCSC) and the American Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF) through their “We’re Going Pink” and “We’re Thinking Pink” campaigns. Plus UNICEF. Plus the Canadian Red Cross.

I am telling you there is a lot going on at Ash City. For those in the promotional items industry and our clients that want to get a better handle on all the good works happening at Ash City, a good starting place is the new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the Ash City website.

For this article maybe I should just pick something closer to me and go from there. This past week Proforma Green Marketing moved into new, larger offices. There was a lot of moving of stuff in 100+ heat (we are in Dallas, and it is summer time).

The Ash City connection? I spent most of the day in my blue Ash City 85096 Rayon (from Bamboo) Recycled Polyester polo. Ash City is always talking about how wonderful the shirt works in heat, because the waffle weave of the 85096 polo breathes great, and has natural antimicrobial, deodorizing (it pulls sweat off the skin) and moisture wicking properties.

In the searing summer heat of this move the 60% rayon (from bamboo)/40% recycled polyester polo lived up to all those claims. To be honest it is now likely my favorite polo for the summer. Great company. Great product.

For more information on the Ash City line contact Chris Clark at Ash City USA. If you are looking to purchase Ash City clothing for your own office move, or any other purpose like your next golf event or as an upgrade in your corporate apparel, please contact your local promotional items distributor or email info@proformagreen.com for samples and pricing.

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Videos From ASI Dallas

18 Feb

ASI is the Advertising Specialty Institute, the trade organization for the promotional products industry. This year at ASI DALLAS (one of several yearly ASI trade shows) I was joined by Brady Anderton of FUELED FILMS (http://fueldfilms.com/). Brady is working on a project related to the greening of the promotional products industry, so similar in topic to my writings here at ecopreneurist.com.

Since Brady is a film guy he didn’t take notes so much as have his team film me while we talked. What we ended up with was a kind of rambling dialogue about industry changes for 2010 and the evolution of green in promo.

I figured we would edit some of these conversations into more manageable bits and post some of the footage here. For more visit http://www.youtube.com/ProformaGreen.

Enjoy.

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If you are an ASI distributor talk to the vendors directly about these new items. Items seen are from AMERICANNA, ASH CITY, NUMO, LEEDS, QUICKPOINT, SHEPENCO. If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items distributor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

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2010 Resolutions: Less Water Bottles, More Stuff Made From Water Bottles

15 Jan

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.

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Fall Is Here. Water Bottle Jackets Anyone?

1 Oct

As promised Ash City has really picked up their game for the 2010 season, offering more eco-friendly apparel items than most other manufacturers in the promotional items market.

With the start of fall Ash City has released a few of the new 2010 recycled polyester outerwear jackets and coats. Here is the scoop on two of our favorites.

The LADIES’ and MEN’S RECYCLED POLYESTER INSULATED TEXTURED JACKET from Ash City are likely the nicest recycled poly (a.k.a recycled water bottle) jackets to come to market so far.

The outer shell of this jacket is two-tone textured 100% recycled polyester, 5.5oz./yd2/185gsm with water resistant finish. The lining is 100% recycled polyester taffeta quilted to 100 gsm with 100% recycled hollow polyester insulation. With 8,000 stitches of embroidery the jackets come in at an EQP of $99.90.

Take a look at this video of Chris Clark, V.P. for Ash City showing off the jacket at the Fort Worth ISS show. These jackets simply transcend eco. What I mean by that statement is you can not tell this is an eco jacket, not from the cut or the weight or the styling. The only thing that makes it eco is the fact it was designed to be eco. And I love that fact. If a company or organization wants to go green in outwear apparel this is a great choice because there are simply no compromises on quality with this jacket.

What type of Ecopreneurist should think about these jackets? Well Chris let it slip at the ISS show that these jackets are selling like mad. City utility departments are buying them for the recycling crews. Ski resorts are buying for staff jackets. Universities, fraternities and sororities are adding them to their school shops. Car dealerships focused on green technology hybrids are giving them out to their sales force.

Really, anywhere an Ecopreneurist is working and the mercury is falling, this is the jacket to brand with your logo.

If you are ASI or PPAI and want to learn more about these jackets and Ash City’s complete line, talk to Chris Clark. 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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Green Goes Pink for Breast Cancer

19 Aug

According to the American Cancer Society, there are now about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Indeed in 2009 the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month will being celebrating its 25th anniversary. I truly hope all readers can play some part in supporting local causes that are fighting this disease.

From a marketing standpoint the month of October will be filled with fundraisers, galas, funwalks and other awareness raising events in which companies and organizations are often asked to show their support through donations of time, resources, and yes promotional items.

Luckily the Ecopreneurist does have green options when it comes to going pink. Here are a few items to think about.

 

October is a cool, if not cold, month for much of the nation, so why not offer those walkers pink e.c.o. fleece jackets from Ash City?

The Ladies’ Recycled Polyester Fleece Full-Zip Jacket (75% recycled polyester/25% polyester) is a great lightweight jacket, perfect for awareness walks and other outside events. The 4.9 oz jacket has a full zipper, adjustable draw cord at hem, and Ash City’s Ezaway® system features exclusive zipper pulls with easy grip ends and “stylish seam lines for a flattering feminine fit”. At EQP $41.90 with 8K stitches of embroidery, this is a great promo item that is both green and pink.

Another piece of information I find very cool is that QuickPoint is offering to run custom pink versions of their NatureAd corn plastic, made in the USA, cups and mugs, (see video).

As these are custom items – made to order – the runs required are larger at 4,800 units, but higher run mean lower prices and I think these items are another great way to go both pink and green.

With a cost of around $3.89 at 4,800 units – that includes one color imprint on both sides of the mug – the pink Corn Mug Koffee Keg offers a 10.5 oz. capacity and like the standard mug is made in the USA from 100% U.S. corn plastic, is biodegradable, and microwave safe.

These units even have the text Made from 100% U.S. Corn Plastic engraved on the bottom of each mug, so people can identify the mug as eco-friendly.

The more contemporary Pink Corn Plastic EcoLogic Tumbler will run about $4.89 on a pink custom run of 4,800 units. The 18oz Corn Plastic EcoLogic Tumbler is also made from 100% U.S. Corn Plastic, and engraved on the bottom to reflect this fact. Again, neither the pink Corn Mug Koffee Keg or EcoLogic Tumbler appear on the QuickPoint website, or indeed anywhere on the web. The only way to get them is to ask.

Another fun item from Quickpoint  – which is also available in pink –  is their Awareness Ribbon Cookie Cutter at an EQP of $0.79. I think these are great, I mean what can possibly be more supportive than fresh baked cookies?

The Awareness Ribbon Cookie Cutter is made from QuickPoint’s BioAd Biodegradable plastic and is a common stock item so runs start at just 150 units.

These are only a few of the many pink themed promotional items available to help promote National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Bags, pins, totes, caps, water bottles, etc., there are a host of items out there, many also eco-friendly, that are available to Ecopreneurists wishing to support events and organizations in their community.

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.

If you are a promotional items distributor looking for more information on AshCity e.c.o. fleece contact Chris Clark. If you are looking for pink QuickPoint items contact Duane Mayer.

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