Sustainable production: tips for greener communications in 2024

Reading anything about climate change can make us feel helpless and overwhelmed by the size of the challenges, but as a B Corp we believe in continuous progress and action over words. We’re delighted to share some of our learnings and tips to help others make everyday swaps and changes in the right direction.

Sustainable production purchasing

Here are three easy ways you can pledge to make your communications production more sustainable:

Choosing sustainable paper

To reach your audience and communicate in a way that is best for them, sometimes you need to print. If you make the right printing choices, the often-held belief that digital communications are greener than print isn’t always true. Where possible insist on FSC or PEFC-accredited paper sources, this means that production has supported responsible forest management, prevents illegal logging and protects wildlife and local communities.

Go local, where you can

When possible, try to reduce the air miles of your communications by insisting on local production. This may increase prices on some lower-quality products, but it can also come with the benefits of faster turnaround times, avoiding long shipping times.

Switch to B Corp or accredited sustainable suppliers

Whether it’s B Corp, Planet Mark, or ISO 14001, there are many verified accreditations that organisations can go through to prove their commitment to sustainability. Try to fill your supply chain with organisations who are committed to making a difference and taking sustainability seriously.

Responsible production and consumption

Here are three straightforward strategies to minimize your communications consumption while prioritising sustainable production practices.

Look after your stock

It’s common for boxes of promotional giveaways to be sent off to events and never return, leading to avoidable waste. Plan ahead and establish a process to facilitate easy returns. This ensures that unused items come back into stock safely, ready to be reused for future events. If you’re managing a store of items, make a point of knowing what goes in and out so that you can protect stock and only re-order when needed. It’s useful to share the value of items with your stakeholders so they can better understand the budget impact of wastage.

Make your giveaways practical and useful

Make sure that promotional items are as useful, practical, and long-lasting as possible to prevent further wastage. Hopefully long gone are the days of frivolous gimmicky single-use giveaways. A simple way to check is to ask yourself ‘Would I use this?’ or ‘How long would I keep this?’.

Think differently about how you give things away

We’re all used to event goody bags and placing giveaways on chairs or at every table setting, but this can contribute to unnecessary waste. Attendees often leave items behind, which may end up in the bin or linger at the bottom of bags, eventually being discarded at home. Let’s commit to a different approach by offering attendees the option to choose whether they want to take the giveaway.

Try having a ‘goodbye’ table where people can choose what they’d like to take. This reduces the waste and makes attendees value the items they pick up more. You could also try gamifying giveaways, making attendees work to earn the ‘merch’ and in doing so increasing their connection with it.

If you automatically send items out to data lists, commit to reviewing your data more often to make sure you’re not sending items to out-of-date contacts.

Promotional merchandise can play a great role in building loyalty and has longevity in comparison to many other techniques, so it can’t always be something to avoid altogether but if you’re still producing single-use, plastic pens then it’s time to rethink your approach to branded merchandise.

Sustainable production swaps

Here are three sustainable replacement items you might be able to introduce into your 2024 communications plans to reduce less sustainable alternatives:

Notepads made with apple peel covers

Crafted from apple peel, vegetable fibers, and sustainable pulp, these Appeel notebooks feature FSC-certified ivory-tinted apple paper, providing a personalised touch.

Notepads made from stone

Opt for stone paper notepads for a 100% tree-free and water-resistant alternative, saving water in the production process.

Compostable pencils with seeds

Personalised pencils made from sustainably harvested wood offer a lead-free, graphite core. After use, these pencils can be planted to grow into various plants, adding a touch of sustainability to your giveaways.

 

We know how tricky it can be to align promo and print with your commitment to sustainability. Let us guide you to making more environmentally responsible choices.