Sustainable Apparel in the Promotional Products Industry
Sustainability is no longer just a buzz word you hear around Earth Day. As concerns about climate change grow, consumers are more often prioritizing earth-friendly purchases, and businesses are working to meet the moment (and capitalize on it). Apparel brands, manufacturers and distributors in the promotional products industry are joining in by making changes in a few key areas:
Materials
Preserving and protecting natural resources can be the biggest area of impact for manufacturers. Some are now working with organic cotton, which is grown without the use of toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers and with significantly less water. Additionally, some are using recycled polyester and cotton, which diverts trash from landfills and oceans to make yarn.
One industry leader is Atlantis Headwear, which offers a 100% sustainable collection of caps and beanies to the North American promotional products industry. They have developed Polylana fiber, an eco-friendly alternative to acrylic and wool fiber for beanies. Production of Polylana fiber uses 85% less water and 76% less energy, resulting in a 19% reduction in CO2. Polylana fiber also results in 76% less waste.
Packaging & Shipping
The materials used in packaging and shipping a product are also important to factor in. Manufacturers have realized it’s crucial to limit and where possible eliminate the use of plastic and other non-recyclable materials in packaging. In addition, when possible, transporting by sea rather than air can also help mitigate the impact of shipping goods and reduce CO2 emissions.
Longevity
Top brands in the industry can also disprove the notion that promotional products contribute to throwaway culture. Developing timeless styles that are fabricated using high-quality materials leads to longer-lasting products that consumers can keep using year after year.
Accountability
While end-users can assess a product’s quality, it’s up to industry leaders to be transparent about their processes and measure the impact of their goods on the planet. One way to do this is to use the Higg Product Module, a sustainability tool developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition that assesses the environmental impact of manufactured goods. The Higg PM allows businesses to calculate product and supply chain performance in five categories: global warming potential, water scarcity, eutrophication, fossil fuel resource depletion and chemistry.
The journey of a single product encompasses a whole world of knowledge of materials, processes and distribution. When more businesses use this knowledge base to prioritize the environment, we’ll see economic growth that doesn’t put future generations at risk.
