The buzzwords are everywhere – go green, eco-conscious, environmentally friendly – and with good reason. People are paying more attention to sustainability, eco-conscious and environmentally friendly and think more highly of businesses that do also.
Here’s some interesting data on the subject:
· Did you know that 68% of American shoppers are willing to pay more for sustainable products compared to 2019?
· 46% of consumers have a more favorable opinion of an advertiser if the promo product they received was environmentally friendly.
· 9 out of 10 companies surveyed say they will be working on various sustainability initiatives.
· Sustainability is more than a buzzword. Over 70% of Americans say that a product’s environmental friendliness is a factor in their purchasing decision according to GreenPrint’s Business of Sustainability Index. Yet almost three-fourths don’t know how to identify these types of products.
· To validate if a company is indeed sustainable, 45% of Americans need a third-party source— significantly higher than those who said an annual report (28%) or a speech from the CEO (11%).
· Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans are willing to pay more for sustainable products. More than three-fourths (77%) of Americans stated they are concerned with the environmental impact of their products.
· Another 73% of Americans use a product’s environmental friendliness as a factor in their purchasing decision.
· A survey conducted ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference revealed that sustainability is an important purchase criterion for 61% of US consumers, with more than a third of people willing to pay a premium for such products or services.
· A 2020 survey reported that 46% of recipients have a more favorable opinion of an advertiser who gives them environmentally friendly swag..
The most common way to evaluate whether items do fit the criteria is the three “R”s, reduce, reuse and recycle.
Reduce
Reducing environmental impact is one key component of sustainability. There are several ways to achieve this goal, including choosing products made of raw materials that have a smaller eco-footprint..
Some raw materials are inherently “green.” Take cork, for example, which comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. Harvesting does not harm the tree, and actually allows it to absorb more carbon dioxide. Cork forests are biodiverse places, providing a home to more species per square meter than even the Amazon rainforest. Add in the fact that almost all cork items can be recycled, and this durable material rates near the top on the sustainability scale. (3) Other good contenders for low-impact natural components include jute and bamboo.
Sometimes it’s not the raw material itself but the way it’s processed that raises environmental concerns. Paper, for example, is made from a renewable source. However, harvesting practices can make its production unsustainable. In these cases, it’s not uncommon for independent organizations to step in and administer a certification process that identifies responsibly produced materials. With the legwork done, buyers can be assured that an item and/or its components were produced in a responsible way.
Certification from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) or Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) is the gold standard in the forestry industry.
Reuse
Another simple way to reduce consumption and waste is to replace disposable products with a reusable equivalent. Some of these items, like drinkware, may not be made of environmentally friendly materials, but they eliminate the waste of non-reusable drink items. Here’s an example of how one coffee shop made this work.
A local coffee shop wanted to phase out the use of disposable cups. They purchased the Koozie® Triple Vacuum Tumbler in both the 13 oz. and 16 oz. sizes to add to their retail offerings. Customers received 50¢ off their order every time they brought in their Triple; loaner tumblers were available, with a deposit, for when customers showed up empty-handed. By placing messaging about the environmental impact of single-use cups around the store, participation in the program steadily grew. The coffeehouse now has a goal of eliminating all disposables by the end of the year
Recycle
The word recycle resonates with many consumers looking to lessen their environmental impact. When it comes to paper, recycling has been around for longer than one might realize. The first paper mill in the United States opened in 1690 and used recycled linen and cotton rags in its production process. Today, paper is one of the most recycled materials, with experts estimating that consumers recycle up to 70% of this everyday commodity.
Two types of recycled paper fiber make it into new products. Pre-consumer materials are by-products of the manufacturing process but never reach an end user. Post-consumer content comes from materials collected from office and curbside recycling programs. From a sustainability standpoint, paper that contains post-consumer content is the preferred choice.
There are two independent organizations that primarily oversee the evaluation of how environmentally friendly paper products are:
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
The SFI® is an independent nonprofit organization that believes that sustainable forests are critical to our collective future. They work to advance sustainability through forest-focused collaboration with groups such as landowners, universities, governments, industry leaders, conservation associations, and Indigenous Peoples.
SFI certification ensures that products come from forests that are managed to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and forests with exceptional conservation value. Choosing SFI makes sure that Koozie Group’s supply chain supports our environmental, social, and governance commitments.
Forest Stewardship Council
The first FSC General Assembly gathered in 1993. Today, more than 550 million acres of forest around the globe are certified under the FSC. It is the only system supported by groups such as Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, the World Wildlife Fund, and the National Wildlife Federation.
FSC certification ensures that products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. The Council believes we can meet our current needs for forest products without compromising the health of the world’s forests for future generations. And that’s a big deal, considering the average American uses nearly six trees worth of paper each year. (2) FSC-certified forests must adhere to the Council’s 10 principles and 57 criteria, and FSC-certified products undergo a highly rigorous and credible certification process.
Newer to the recycled material scene is recycled PET (RPET). A growing number of companies, including iconic brands like Converse, now use this material to craft everything from high tops to swimwear to tees. The polyester fabric, made from recycled plastic containers, is equivalent in quality to polyester made from virgin material and takes 59% less energy to create.
A growing number of promotional products made from RPET.
In my next blog I will show you some examples of various types of sustainable items.
Thank you.