How ECO are Environmentally Friendly Gifts?
I have seen quite a few promotional gifts companies now offering environmentally friendly gifts and jumping on the ECO gifts trail. My question is just how ECO friendly are these companies and their suppliers and what carbon-footprints do these items leave as they move from place of manufacture to final usage? Any gifts made off-shore to their point of use will lose their ECO benefit thanks shipment via sea freight or cargo plane. So if you are really interested in purchasing ECO labelled promotional items, start by asking where are the goods manufactured, how and from what. See if the manufacturer has an ISO14001 or equivalent Environmental Management System or at least an environmental policy. Check out their green credentials and don’t just be taken in by the ECO tag on supplying websites and brochures.
Expect to pay a little more or the same for your ECO gifts if you want quality items. Popular items of the moment include: coasters made from recycled rubber tyres, cups from old plastic and pens from corn maize. I am sure that this segment of the gifts market will grow in importance and that standards will be set for what can carry an Environmentally Friendly label but until then it is a case of let the buyer beware.
