Just a quick note to comment on how impressed I am by the number of truely great eco-friendly calendar options that now exist… finally!  Two years ago you had less than a handful of options to choose from, now there are several dozen at least.  One of my favorites has to be the seeded paper desk calendars – they’re petite in size and you have one sheet for each month, so you can plant your seed paper the whole year through if you want to.  I’m also a fan of the grow kits that have a calendar printed right on the pot, as shown here – you can even get them with a kicky little foot stand just for fun!

When it comes to recycled materials, there are now promotional calendars in the form of… magnets, date books/agendas, paper mouse pads, small desktop style, dry erase boards and of course wall calendars.  Pretty great, right?  Word to the wise… be sure and order them soon, so you can distribute them before the first of the new year – it’s best to give them out around the holidays.

That’s all for now!

~ eco promos girl

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

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

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

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

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

Polypropylene – 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.   

RPET – 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

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