If you’re a regular around here, you’ve probably noticed that we frequently talk about the rapidly growing anti-single-use-plastic movement. Thanks to some pretty graphic images like that turtle with a straw up its nose that has been viewed nearly 35 million times on YouTube, or pictures of the 1.8 trillion pieces of trash languishing in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, folks are beginning to wake up to the significance of the problem with disposable plastic. Perhaps that includes people in the promo products industry, perhaps even you and your team.
The Winning International Statistic of 2018 is 90.5 percent. Yes, there is such a thing. According to the Royal Statistical Society, over six billion metric tons of plastic has NEVER been recycled. Twelve percent has been incinerated, with a hefty 79 percent now accumulating either in landfills or the “natural environment.” That’s some eye-opening math, and that’s a fact.
Forty percent of all plastic is used for packaging. Here’s where that “Good Story” part comes into play. Have you been exploring sustainability improvements with your packaging and logistics? I’m looking at you, Mr./Ms. Polybag User. It’s a fact that way too many e-commerce transactions currently use polybags for traditional consumer products, especially electronics. But, have you thought about alternatives for your promo packaging? While our industry is not likely to lead the way with replacements for polybags like the home-compostable oxygen- and moisture-protection pouch from Elevate, or the non-GMO US-grown cornstarch-foam padded mailer by Green Cell Foam, there are more mainstream options for your company to consider. If you are exploring and implementing sustainability improvements and practices, be sure and share the news about those advancements with your customers and prospects. This could be a serious competitive differentiator, as today’s consumers (and promo products buyers) have shown they care quite a bit about sustainability.
Take an example from Patagonia, a company long known for taking public stands on environmental issues. Chances are good that if you've got a Patagonia jacket, you’re experiencing firsthand the company’s commitment to the environment and sustainability. Patagonia has been using recycled plastic bottles to make clothing since 1993. They even published a case study on the company’s challenges with the use of polybags in 2014. Patagonia looked at bio-based or compostable bags, but their main issue was the tendency for their customers and employees alike to mix compostable plastic-like products in with regular plastic recycling. “By keeping all our bags the same, we’re not contaminating our waste stream,” Elissa Foster, Patagonia’s senior manager of product responsibility, says in the study. “OXO” packaging products, which claim to be biodegradable, just break down into smaller and smaller pieces in the environment. “We would not want to support those types of degradable bags.”
As a result of their research, Patagonia decided on plastic polybags made with recycled content. Starting with their Spring 2019 line, which hit stores and the website last month, all the polybags have somewhere between 20 percent and 50 percent certified post-consumer recycled content. Next year, they will be 100 percent post-consumer recycled content. That’s putting your money, and your sustainability practices, where your mouth is.
When it comes to your personal efforts to save the environment, it’s entirely possible you think going beyond the metal straw, fashionable promo drinkware, glass container, and woven bag you have already committed to would just change your life too drastically. Well, I have good news for you—it really won’t. In fact, a recent article in Fast Company lays out some pretty painless ways to limit plastic use in your life. It’s a quick read and very informative. Things, like replacing plastic containers with glass, using fabric bags for veggies when you’re shopping, and using beeswax wraps to keep food fresh without using plastic, are things we’re doing at my house to eliminate single-use plastic. Bottom line, making a difference on this front starts with us. Contributing to the success of the movement starts at home—and reducing the waste in landfills and polluting our water supplies is really a mission critical one, certainly for future generations. What about you? Where are you on this front? Would you be willing to take a few simple steps to add your name to those pitching in a little bit more? I’m in and hope that you are, too. It’s amazingly simple how small steps can create big change. Let’s do that together.
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for 40 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. You can find him volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem, traveling the world with his lovely wife, or enjoying a cigar at his favorite local cigar shop. Connect with Jeff on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, or reach out to him at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.