This past February one of our Account Managers, Jon Waintroob, took a snowboarding vacation to the legendary slopes of Tahoe, California. At PromoCentric, we are a bunch of young, experienced and energetic people and Jon is no different. While tearing up the slopes he opted out of the usual high-priced brand name jacket and decided upon the Lightweight Rip Stop Thermal Jacket that he received as a Christmas gift from our company. As an experienced snowboarder, Jon knows his options when it comes to outerwear and chose this jacket because of it’s excellent combination of warmth, maneuverability, cargo space and style, not to mention that it is perfectly set up for an iPod or other MP3 device. Clearly this was a great choice as upon his return he couldn’t stop talking about how much fun he had and never once mentioned being cold. It just goes to show that when looking for quality, style and price, the brand name option is not always the best. If you or your company is looking for a great outerwear gift or promotion it is certainly worth looking at this jacket. I’m sure Jon would agree.

Here are some pictures from his trip along with a close-up of the jacket:

In the ever changing landscape of corporate responsibility and the environmental footprint we create, the question of “What is Earth Friendly?” becomes more and more prevalent. Now that commonly followed practices such as recycling and reducing the amount of energy we consume have permeated the mainstream discussion, the next logical step is to search for practices and habits in our daily lives which can be evolved into earth friendly solutions. A good starting point is the products we buy and the packaging that they come to us in.

Recently the news has been dominated with over-seas product recalls and increased safety inspections having to do inks and dyes containing lead and other toxic chemicals. Domestically, the issue of plastic bags reached worldwide attention when San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban the use of them in large grocery stores and pharmacies. Both of these examples illustrate the need to reevaluate some of the basic buying and using practices we commonly share, and seek out more sustainable solutions. A great alternative to using plastic or paper bags is to bring reusable grocery bags to the store when you do your shopping. To avoid the possibility of lead and toxic chemical contamination buy products that are made with eco-dyes and recycled thread.

From a business standpoint, investing in earth friendly products, especially with regard to promotional items and apparel, makes several positive statements about your company and its personality. Items that are earth friendly have perceived value added to them because they are either reusable or made from biodegradable or recycled materials. More and more these features are important to consumers and business partners alike. Using these alternative options not only sends the message that your company cares about the earth and is up to date with changing trends, but also makes it stick out from the others who are using non-earth friendly items. If you have not considered them before, they are certainly worth a look.

This post is not intended to make take a firm stance in either direction, but rather to open up this topic for discussion. Items that are less earth friendly than others are still excellent to promote a business or product with, and in the end may not hurt the environment as much as one thinks. Eco-products are simply a growing option when considering marketing plans and are definitely worth exploring…for the sake of the planet and your business.

Thanks for reading.