Custom Imprinted, Reusable Lunch Bags – Green Eatin’

June 25, 2010 by eco promos girl · 1 Comment
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Cotton with Velcro ClosureRecycled PET MaterialFor those of you that are all about packing your own lunch for work, let me just say bravo!  Not only is it budget-smart, but usually more healthy also – unless of course you’re the person that packs chips, cookies and an apple, and calls it a day.  More and more people seem to be packing their lunch on a regular basis, not to mention their children’s lunches.  With that in mind, you may be happy to learn that there are now many fabulous options for reusable fabric lunch sacks that can be branded with your logo, event, etc.

Many of the promotional lunch bags available are made from one of the following… conventional cotton, organic cotton, recycled PET plastic bottles, or recyclable polypropylene.  If you want one that is lined, ask for those with a PEVA lining rather than vinyl.  These bags are generally screen printed, and are highly reusable.  Next time you need a pratical promotional item for your employees or a child-related promotion, think of these guys – they’re sure to be a big hit!

Be well ~ eco promos girl

Promotional Products and Recycled Metal – A Perfect Combination!

May 5, 2010 by eco promos girl · 2 Comments
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When thinking about what eco promotional items might be made from recycled metal, one would probably jump to the idea of stainless steel or aluminum sport bottles, but no. In fact I have yet to see either made from recycled metal – hopefully someday. What you will find though is an array of fabulous items like lapel pins, dog tag necklaces, key holders, awareness wrist bands, pet tags, etc. And guess what… many, in fact most of them, are made right here in the USA!

The most common types of metal used are post-consumer recycled aluminum or recycled jeweler’s metal. Lapel pins are available in several different finishes, from basic economy epoxy dome, to higher-end die struck or laser etched. A choice between gold or silver plating is an option on many items. Dog tag necklaces made from recycled aluminum are fantastic for community events, and can even be printed with a bar code on the back to be used as admission tickets at an event, etc. There are more types of key holders than can be mentioned here, I recommend checking into them. And let me just say, that I LOVE the bendy (is that a word?) aluminum wrist bands (pictured) – they’re super cool, and make great bookmarks after their life as a fashion accessory has ended! 

Recycled Aluminum Awareness Wrist Band

Recycled Aluminum Awareness Wrist Band

Hopefully these pearls of wisdom will add a few more ideas to the mix next time you’re working feverishly to come up with that super fantastic promotion for your organization.

Take care!
Eco Promos Girl

Eco Promotional Plantables to Help Grow Your Brand

March 25, 2010 by eco promos girl · Leave a Comment
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With spring upon us, perhaps the most relevant eco-friendly promotional items to consider are those that can be planted - I’m happy to report that there are now many, many options available.  Whether you’re in to flowers, herbs, trees or plants, there is something out there that can be imprinted with your logo!  While seed packets have been, and remain, very popular because of their large ad space, low price point, and versatility - there are many additional goodies to consider…

Bamboo shoots are always a hit – after all, who can’t manage to remove it from the packaging and stick it in a glass of water, right?  You don’t need a green thumb to pull that off!  Seed sticks are fantastic if you need to be super thrifty – they’re cute little wood stakes, printed with your logo, that have several seeds adhered to the end with water-based glue – stick them in the dirt and watch them go!  There are several types of planter kits to choose from… you get the seeds (or live plant), the dirt, and a pot or can to put it in – no muss, no fuss, and keeps your logo around for a long time. 

Of course there are the seeded paper items… bookmarks, die cut shapes, postcards, etc…  use them, then plant them - they’re fabulous!  Tree starters, called seedlings, come in a variety of packaging options – poly bags, clear tubes, cute pouches – you name it.  You can even get bean kits – the beans are engraved with your logo, and come with a little planter for your desk.  And one of my favorites… the custom printed Give a Tree cards that are printed on seeded paper — your recipients go to the designated web address on the card, enter their info, and a tree (or several) are planted in their honor.  Yeah!

I hope this overview of these affordable, wonderful, plantable options just made your green marketing efforts a little easier.

Be well ~  eco promos girl

Why Not Try Water-Based Screen Printing Inks on Your Next T-shirt Order?

March 11, 2010 by eco promos girl · Leave a Comment
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They’re fabulous!  Water-based screen printing inks are getting bigger and better, or better therefore bigger – however you want to look at it.  So what are the options these days for screen printing inks when ordering your eco-friendly promotional t-shirts?  Here they are… conventional plastisol inks (most commonly used), pvc-free inks, and water-based inks.  Plastisol inks are the least expensive, most vibrant, and most versatile.  PVC-free inks are also vibrant and versatile, but have a bit of a rougher feel, therefore they’re best used on things other than garments, such as tote bags, etc.   Then our favorite - water-based inks – here’s what you need to know about them…

T-shirt printed using water-based inks.

  • Costs a bit more – how much more depends on several factors.
  • End result is a softer feel than plastisol or pvc-free inks.
  • Colors are somewhat muted – giving sort of a vintage feel/look.
  • Work great for designs with half-tones/gradients.
  • Do not contain PVC or Phthalates
  • Work best on 100% cotton products,
  • Harsh chemicals not required for cleanup/preparation of screens.
  • Just as durable as plastisol and pvc-free inks.
  • Most PMS colors can be matched quite closely.

There’s no doubt that water-based inks may make your logo look a little different than you’re used to, but since when is different a bad thing?  Check into it!

Be well  ~    eco promos girl

Eco Promotional Tote Bags – Recycled vs. Recyclable Material

February 11, 2010 by eco promos girl · 2 Comments
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It seems as though there’s a bit of confusion out there as to which non-woven promotional tote bags are made from recycled material vs. recyclable material, so I thought I’d lend a helping hand here.  You’ve all seen the super light-weight, non-woven, non-cotton promotional tote bags for sale at your local grocery store, yes?  They all love to brand these.  My personal favorites tend to be the Trader Joes bags – love em!  All of those non-woven bags are made from one of two materials – either polypropylene (laminated or non) or recycled PET, otherwise known as RPET.  What’s the difference you ask?  Here we go…

Polypropylene TotePolypropylene – generally lighter in weight than RPET, durable, comes in every color under the rainbow and every style imaginable (pretty much), least expensive of the two fabrics, sometimes contains a small amount of post-industrial recycled material, is fully recyclable in communities that recycle plastic #5 as long as you go with the non-laminated version.   

 

Recycled PET (RPET) Tote BagRPET – typically a bit thicker material than the polypropylene and feels similiar to denier nylon, durable, fairly limited options style-wise right now, typically comes in black although a few styles are offered in colors at higher quantities, generally made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles (#1) – very exciting! 

 

Bottom line… both are great options, but if you’re interested in post-consumer recycled material, take a look at the RPET tote bags.  If you decide on polypropylene, I would highly recommend having a small #5 recycle symbol printed discretely in the corner of the imprint area.  If you don’t, I can guarantee people won’t know they can be recycled. 

I hope that helps clear things up.  If not, shoot me a comment with your questions – I’m happy to answer them. 

Be well~      eco promos girl

BPA-free Promotional Bottles – is metal the only reusable option?

February 1, 2010 by eco promos girl · 1 Comment
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Who doesn’t appreciate the ever popular stainless steel and aluminum water bottles?  I do, in fact I think they’re fabulous – one of the best eco promotional products there is, hands down!  But here’s the deal… what happens when you know that a reusable bpa-free bottle would be the best product for your promotion, but your budget doesn’t allow for the $3+ metal bottle?  I’ll tell you… you take a look at the fantastic bpa-free plastic bottles that are available.  These would be the bottles made from recycle codes #2, #4 and #5 – more on that in a minute.  Now I know what you’re thinking… the non-see-through bottles made from these plastics are ugly, right?  I won’t lie to you, some of them are, but there are some out there now that are colorful, sporty, kicky, and sometimes all of those wrapped into one.  The thing is, they generally run in the $1 range – or less!  That works, right? 

Made in the USA from FDA approved LDPE plastic #4.

Made in the USA from LDPE plastic #4.

The three plastic codes mentioned above, #2 high-density polyethylene, #4 low-density polyethylene, and #5 polypropylene are food-grade plastics that you’ll find most of your food from the grocery store packaged in – they are bpa-free, and are not known to leach toxins.   #2 & #5 are recyclable in many communities, and many of these bottles contain some post-industrial recycled material.  Water bottles made from PETE come in see-through colors of all shades and are bpa-free also, however I don’t personally recommend them as there has been a lot of mixed information about how safe this material is for reuse, and after it’s been exposed to heat.

Anyway, enough with all of the technical talk, although I’m sure it had you on the edge of your seat.  The really great thing about the plastic water bottles made from these materials, besides the price point, is that almost all of them are made right here in the U.S.  For those of you ecobranders who prefer U.S.A. made products, be sure to keep this one in mind!  That’s all for now.

Be well ~        eco promos girl