Tag Archives: proforma

EcoShapes™ Recycled Die Cut Notebooks

27 Dec
EcoShapes™ Recycled Die Cut Notebook: Construction Cone.

EcoShapes™ Recycled Die Cut Notebook: Construction Cone.

As of this writing Jetline is now up to twelve stock shapes in its EcoShapes™ Recycled Die Cut Notebook line.

The last time we looked in on the EcoShapes™ Recycled Die Cut Notebooks it was the sport styles that stood out, Baseball (white under page), Basketball (orange under page), Football (brown under page), and Soccer (orange under page).

Jetline has expanded with stock art directed to topics outside of sports, like finance ($) and construction (cone). Additionally I have been told that Jetline can offer custom cut shapes on their EcoShapes™ Recycled Die Cut Notebooks if you need a large order of something specific, perhaps a company logo or team mascot.

EcoShapes™ Recycled Die Cut Notebook: $

EcoShapes™ Recycled Die Cut Notebook: $

The Recycled Die Cut Notebook line is made of 80% post consumer recycled materials, with a metal spiral binding made of 90% post consumer recycled materials as well.  As a final touch each unit comes with a pen also made of recycled materials attached to the notebook via a simple elastic pen loop. As a line, the notebooks carry 80 sheets of 100% post consumer recycled lined notebook paper.

These trendy notebooks are great for booster and school spirit programs, as well as corporate sustainability programs. Like pre-printed bags, the die cuts give you a bit more razzle-dazzle for your dollar.

If you are in the business and want more information on the Recycled Die Cut Notebook line from Jetline contact Alex Skorupsky. If you are interested in the Recycled Die Cut Notebook to promote school or business, contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

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Shepenco Cutting Prices on Sustainable Items for Earth Day

12 Mar

Shepenco Sales for Earth Day events

Another sale priming the pump for Earth Day events. Shepenco has placed four of their best selling sustainable items on sale. They are

The Newsprencils @$.19 (C) – No Screen Charges. “Conservation of our natural resources, along with newly recycled products are an integral part of the Shepenco® business philosophy — your welfare helps protect our welfare. Help safeguard the environment with our NEWSPRENCIL™. Made from 75% recycled newspaper and 25% new paper, five colors to choose from and brass-colored ferrules with green erasers make this an ecological sound investment in our future. Rest assured Shepenco® will continue to be a forerunner in protecting and improving our environment. Easy to sharpen and splinter free.”

The FSC Certified Pencils @$.35 (C) – No Screen Charges. “The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) promotes responsible management of the world’s forests. This is accomplished through development of voluntary, internationally recognized forest management standards. FSC is the most widely recognized global certification program. The FSC certification program supports biodiversity, protection and conservation of forests, ensures long term timber supplies, protects stream sizes, while assuring consideration of long term human benefits. Our pencil products have positive environmental attributes, verified by a global certification system. Shepenco’s® supports sound forest management and environmental responsibility by offering pencils.”

The ECO Pen @$.49 (C) – No Screen Charges. “The very popular ECO™ pen has proven to be a best seller in the eco-friendly market. 100% compostable/biodegradable plant starch material which will degrade in 90 days with only the spring and refill left. Both pens offer large imprint areas.”

The PLA-Pen Tri @$.49 (C) – No Screen Charges. “Looking for a safe, colorful biodegradable pen? We have it in our PLA-Pen TRI™, made of the new PLA material. This environmentally friendly annually renewable material produced from plants, presents a viable alternative to traditional petroleum-based materials.”

If you are an ASI member with questions about Shepenco Joyce Allen is your contact. 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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Garyline Earth Day Flyer

8 Mar

Well that did not take long. Here is another flyer sent to our office from BRONX, NY based manufacturer Grayline. Garyline has a great selection of both sustainable and Made in the USA items. Often these items will over lap with one another.

Garyline has lots of USA Made and Sustainable products for your Earth Day events this year.

If you are a promotional items distributor looking for more information on Garyline items Stu Schoenfeld is your contact at Garyline. If you are interested in these items for your own marketing contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

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12 Sustainable Women’s Polos from Ash City

24 Aug

LADIES' RECYCLED POLYESTER/PERFORMANCE POLYESTER (from Bamboo Charcoal Nano-Particles) ZIPPED POLO

Ash City has 12 sustainable polos just for the ladies in their 2011 line. I repeat, 12.

That is huge.

When did this happen? I know when I talked to Chris Clark, VP of Sales for Ash City USA, back in 2009 he told us more sustainable blends and shirt styles were coming from Ash City. But when the heck did they get to 12 ladies cuts just for polos alone?

It may not seem like such a big deal to the reader, but understand most other producers offer maybe three or four sustainable appareal items. Even Anvil, the big player when it comes to tee shirts, only has organic cotton, recycled cotton, and 50% recycled PET, 50% organic cotton conversion materials in their line.

When you are working on a client’s program, choice is huge. Choice is everything, because if the clothing does not work for the client’s brand and identity, does it really mater if it is sustainable?

With more cuts, more blends, more colors, Ash City is bringing choice to sustainable material promotional clothing. And that is a big deal. Here are links to the 12 polos and a video of Chris from 2009.

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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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Kanata Sport/Travel Blanket Now in ECO Fleece

18 May

Kanata Blanket is now offering their popular Sport/Travel blanket in ECO fleece material. The Kanata ECO fleece line is made from Repreve, a 100% recycled yarn avaible in filament polyester, filament nylon, or spun polyester. I have seen Repreve in more and more promotional items lately, and frankly I am very impressed with the material.

The Kanata Blanket Sport/Travel blanket in ECO fleece is another example of a well-established company in our industry moving towards a greater use of eco-friendly materials. Established in 1993 Kanata Blanket originally focused on a Heritage Collection of heirloom quality wool blankets. Kanata was also one of the first in our industry to offer the very popular premium fleece throws.

In their ECO fleece collection Kanata is now offering their ECO fleece Scarf, ECO fleece Blanket, and ECO fleece Sport/Travel blanket, all of which are a blend of virgin polyester and Repreve® recycled polyester. There is more detail on these items on the Kanata Blanket website.

For Ecopreneurists working on spring and summer marketing projects I think the ECO fleece Sport/Travel blanket with an EQP of $25.75 is the way to go. The ECO fleece Sport/Travel blanket is available in seven pantone dyed colors including Antique Blue (pantone # 647C), Black (pantone # 426C), Camel (pantone # 466C), Charcoal (pantone # 432C), Moss (pantone # 5753C), Red (pantone # 202C), and Navy (pantone # 296C).

The ECO fleece Sport/Travel blanket folds out to a full 50×60 in measure with branding options on both the slip cover and the body of the blanket. Branding options can be mixed and include embroidery, patches, and lasering.

Lasering is actually an option I had not heard of before, and is a unique way to decorate fleece by “burning” a logo onto the material itself. This enables “greater detail than embroidery with smaller detail being clearer. It also provides a clean backside to the fabric while also maintaining the integrity of the fabric. The logo will appear a shade or two darker than the actual fleece, providing a tone on tone appearance on darker colors”.

Blankets are rather personal items and I think the lasering option provides a more subtle branding option for the end user.

Ecopreneurists targeting the travel industry (airlines, trains, cruises) all might want to think about these items. Of course none of those industries are particularly known for being eco friendly, but maybe this item might be a small, small step in the right direction. Travel lodges and company trips are also great audience for these items, so HR director take note.

If you are in the business and have questions, Shirley Lee at Kanata Blanket is the contact to talk to. If you are interested in ECO fleece 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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New Eco Designs From Mega Cap

26 Mar

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.

With over 800 cap styles in house and both domestic and overseas programs in place, Mega Cap Inc continues to be one of the industry leaders in the branded headwear market.

I am please to report that once again Mega Cap is expanding into more designs using eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, PET, and bamboo. Here are a few designs for 2010 that look great, while not particularly looking “green”.

Topping the list has got to the the Mega Cap 7914 PET SPUN Bucket Hat with chin cord. These caps come in both olive and stone with a minimum order of 12 units.

As the name implies the PET SPUN Bucket Hat is made from recycled PET [Polyethylene Terephthalate] which is used as a raw material for making items such as bottles and containers  for a wide range of food products and other consumer goods.  In our industry when we say something is made from PET we normally call it the “water bottle” material.

PET SPUN Bucket Hat is a great match for any Ecopreneurist looking to market to the beach, boat, camping and fishing crowds. An added advantage is that PET is a light material, so these caps store and wear a bit better than their cotton cap equivalents.

The second cap for Mega Cap worth special attention this year is the 6887 LOW PROFILE (UNSTRUCTURED) WASHED ORGANIC COTTON MESH CAP.

This is another example of the evolution in our industry to meet the demands of the promotional marketplace.

Look at this cap. Looks familiar right? That is because this faded look is very popular in the marketplace. Mega Cap simply took a great selling cap and reproduced it using organic cotton. The 6887 LOW PROFILE (UNSTRUCTURED) WASHED ORGANIC COTTON MESH CAP comes in a bunch of colors and is certainly an item to consider for marketing targeting the college and youth crowds. In this case the organic cotton is simply a bonus to an already popular design.

Speaking of popular designs, the “trucker” mesh back cap is likely the most ubiquitous style of promotional headgear in the industry. Putting a new spin on that classic design Mega Cap has produced the 6886 5 PANEL PET SPUN MESH CAP.

This is your classic trucker produced again from recycled PET [Polyethylene Terephthalate]. The cap comes in seven colors and is a great basic cap with a large imprint area. Expect it soon at truck stops everywhere.

Seriously, are you selling bio-diesel or working with the new technologies in the auto industry – why this is your go to market cap for all your tradeshow needs. All caps can be branded at Meg Caps factory via multiple embroidery, screen printing, and appliqué options, or blank units can be sent to your printer of choice.

If you are an ASI distributor Michael Nakajima is the contact to talk to at Mega Cap Inc.

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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The Aakron Line Smells

22 Mar

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.

Aarkron Line is known for innovative ideas like their color changing S.A.F.E plastic Mood Cups.

Well it seems in 2010 Aarkron is sticking with the innovative way of thinking to produce a new line of non-woven polypropylene totes called Scent-Sational Bags in Cinnamon, Fresh ‘n Clean, Coffee and Coconut-Lime.

As I mentioned when writing about the Smelly Pen from All-in-One, scent is a very strong trigger for sales and attention. Think about the old realtor trick of fresh baked cookies (or pie scented candles)  on display during open house events. Also as scented items are still newish to the industry they can help you create a buzz at your tradeshow booth or event.

The Scent-Sational Scented Non-Woven Small Tote Bag from Aakron line measures in at 9″ W x 10″ H, with a 5″ gusset. The imprint area is 6″ W x 6″ H per side, and Aakron offers both spot color ($1.20 EQP) and Full Color Digital ($2.70 EQP) imprinting on these bags.

The larger Scent-Sational Scented Non-Woven Large Tote Bag measures in at 12″ W x 14″ H, also with a 5″ gusset, and sporting a 9″ W x 10″ H imprint area.

Again Aakron offers both spot color ($1.50 EQP) and Full Color Digital ($3.00 EQP) imprinting on these bags. Both the small and large scented bags are made from 20% recycled materials.

I think the totes would work well for farmers markets, trade shows, conferences, bookstores (thinking coffee scent here), basically any place a trade tote would work and the buyer is thinking of an upgrade to a stand out scented unit.

The last item in the line I think is particularly interesting and I think aimed directly at the  healthcare, college, school and sports crowd. It is the Scent-Sational Scented Non-Woven Laundry Bag. Great idea Aakron.

This 25″ W x 36″ H non-woven polypropylene drawstring bag has a large 12″ W x 12″ imprint area, with the option of spot color ($2.90 EQP) and Full Color Digital ($4.40 EQP). It is also made from 20% recycled materials.

The sent that Aarkon is working to associate most closely with this bag is their Fresh ‘n Clean option.

If you are an ASI distributor Ann Marie Baker is the contact to talk to at Aakron Line.

If you are interested in the these items or other Aakron scented items – they do Scent-Sational pencils and pens as well –  to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information 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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Total Branding By Express Line

13 Feb

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.

Pre-printing for bags is becoming more and more popular in our industry, and I have written about that in the past. Something new gaining speed is pre-printing for drink ware. Established in 1986 and dedicated to only drink ware, The Express Line has a “total branding” program for 2010 that I think is certainly worth a second look by the Ecopreneurist looking for a marketing edge.

Stainless steel and aluminum water bottles are quickly becoming a preferred promotional item for Ecopreneurist because these bottles fit many eco themes such as reduce & reuse and the movement to stop buying plastic water bottles. Also, just like caps and tee shirts, it seems everyone has a favorite water bottle they take everywhere, so bottles give great brand exposure at little cost.

What using a pre-printed program from a company like Express Line provides is more design for the money as it simply adds the client’s art or logo to an already available, and professionally done, stock design. For a full overview of this process take a look at the Express Line Total Branding PDF on their website.

Since Earth Day is right around the corner I want to use as an example the Express Line design #203 which plays to the Earth Day theme.

In this sample we have selected EXPRESS LINE item number #4479, the olive stainless steel 44oz BOLT, with an EQP of $8.99. As seen in the sample image, the pre-print wraps the entire bottle, and would do so on the BOLT 18oz (EQP $7.59) or 24oz (EQP $7.99) as well. In this case the logo being added is ECOLAB.

Color splash motifs, cherry blossoms, flower petals, dots, and pinstripes, are all samples of ideas represented in the 12 pre-designed art overlays in the Express Line Total Branding program, and can be applied to most every item in the Express Line catalog.

Changes in both bottle color and artwork colors are possible. Also most bottles in the Express Line can take a full, multi-color art rap, so if their designs inspire full wrap designs of your own, Express Line bottles can be printed with 100% custom wrap artwork as well.

Again, if you are already spending on stainless steel and aluminum water bottles, and you want the artwork on those bottles to be more impactful, take a look at this line and this program. It is a great way to stretch your marketing budget in 2010.

If you are an ASI distributor Nicki Russo is the contact to talk to at Express Line about this great program. If you are interested in the Express Line to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

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Recycling Bin Tote Set From Norwood

9 Feb

Once again Norwood takes a basic idea and makes it a whole lot better. Laminated woven polypropylene bags are not new to the industry. Nor are pre-printed totes. However Norwood took these two basic ideas, added a bit of Velcro, and presto, a brand new product idea is launched that is going to get your brand noticed in a hurry.

To be honest it took me a moment to get this concept. Really this is just a set of three bags, right?

Wrong. What the Recycling Bin Tote Set really accomplishes is a portable recycling station and a very smart promotional idea for any Ecopreneurist targeting office workers, parks, college dorms, any area where people collect in small groups.

Think about it, what does a dorm or office really need to kick start a recycling program? First step is a place to put the materials to be recycled. The three bags in the Recycling Bin Tote Set come pre-printed with the text PAPER (green tote), METAL (orange tote), PLASTIC (blue tote). Easy to understand.

Then – here is the genius – they attach to each other with Velcro on the top outer edge of each tote. And presto you have an instant recycle station, branded with your logo, for any indoor or outdoor space. The PAPER, METAL, PLASTIC text is even in multiple languages for that whole act local, think global ideal, and each tote is pre-printed with a symbol of the recyclable for that bag.

Each tote is a huge 11-3/8″w x 16-1/4″h x 11-1/4″d in size, with a 8″w x 6-1/2″h imprint area on the orange center tote only. Each set can also connect to another set since the Velcro runs the outside of the totes as well, so setting up multiple sets as needed is possible. And of course the fact they connect makes the totes freestanding as well.

Say you are an eco lodge that does picnics on your property, but away from the main building. Set up the picnic and then set out the Recycling Bin Tote Set. So you collect all the recyclables from the picnic, unlatch the Velcro, pick up the individual totes for easy carriage to your main recycling center. Done.

Repeat this idea at the college dorm-room, office meeting room, home, etc. Genius.

At EQP of $10.89 per set, wherever the Recycling Bin Tote Set is setup, there stands your logo as well, telling the crowds who is providing this great on-the-fly service (and yes they also make very nice shopping totes).

If you are an ASI distributor D’Anna Zimmer is the contact to talk to at Norwood about this great idea. If you are interested in the Recycling Bin Tote Set to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

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