Apparel & Promotional Products
The Big Story for 2008? In a Word, “Green.”
Feb 13, 2008
By Richard Lebovitz, Impressions Magazine
Green, whether described by sustainable, organic, recycled, eco-friendly or any other name, will be what consumers, as well as your business, governmental and institutional customers, will look for this year. Any doubts?
According to a report by the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), a research partner of Impressions’ parent, The Nielsen Co., 43% of consumers anticipate a greener future within the next five years. “Not only are shoppers thinking green, they’re willing to spend more green to achieve environmental goals — up to a 20% price premium for cleaner, greener products,” says Todd Kaiser, director, Custom Survey Research, Nielsen Consumer Panel Services, in an article titled “Corporate Sustainability: Where People, Planet, Profits Merge” published recently in the Nielsen “Consumer Insight” newsletter.
If you’re still a non-believer, consider this statement by Jim Gregory, CEO of brand consulting firm CoreBrand, who was quoted in a special “Outlook 2008″ report in BtoB magazine (Dec. 10, 2007): “Eco-friendly products and eco-friendly thinking have changed the way people manufacture products and advertise them. The environment will be part of everyone’s mind in terms of how they do things and how they buy things.”
In the decorated apparel and promotional products industry, manufacturers and distributors have ratcheted up their offerings of eco-friendly products. At the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas in January, I counted 36 green products in the New Product Pavilion alone, ranging from GreatStuff!’s plastic piggybank made of 100% recycled electronics equipment to Towel Specialties’ bamboo robe and breakfast tray set to Vantage Apparel’s jersey fleece hoodie made of PET polyester produced from recycled plastic soda bottles.
When we asked Paul Kiewiet, PPAI chair and president of BrandKiwi LLC, Kalamazoo, Mich., about the impact of the green movement on the promotional products industry, he said, “The trend has not only gained momentum but reached critical mass.”
Kiewiet also noted the “big push” in the apparel area, which we saw at both the PPAI Expo and later in the week at ISS Long Beach, where the show’s Green Pavilion featured nearly three dozen eco-friendly garments and apparel decoration materials, including embroidery backings and screen printing inks.
Speaking about his company’s approach to sustainability at the “Green Eggs and AnvilOrganic Breakfast” held at ISS Long Beach, Anthony Corsano, CEO, Anvil Knitwear, New York City, said, “As business owners and individuals, we all have a choice in making an environmental message part of our business plans. But you can’t fake your policies and practices — you must be willing to walk the walk.”
More than likely, your customers understand that they can’t fake their green initiatives. “Consumers are quick to catch on to so-called ‘greenwashing’ and boycott companies that adopt the practice,” says Nielsen’s Kaiser. Given the variety of eco-friendly products and processes already on the market, with more to come throughout 2008, that puts you in the catbird’s seat when it comes to helping your customers identify appropriate green products for their businesses, whether uniforms made of recycled materials or shirts, caps and bags made of 100% certified organic cotton — all embellished with similarly eco-friendly materials!
Hi Chris. I have taken the environmental direction for my corporate branding company and find that business has increased greatly due to the eco-friendly products we offer. I like what you wrote. I’m finding too that it’s not only important to offer materials that are environmentally safe, they should also be certified for their industry. It’s an added bonus if the packing materials are produced from recycled goods. I find more and more manufacturers complying. Helps us all to feel good about what we’re wearing and selling.