When preparing for a tradeshow or big event, you should think about how the items you are handing out portray your brand. The promotional products you give to attendees say a lot about your company and help to shape a customer’s opinions about you. By choosing green products, you show you are committed to sustainable business while helping attendees to make eco-friendly decisions as well.

Go Green

Nothing is greener than an actual living plant! There are many options for planter kits with a variety of different flowers, herbs and plants. Bonus- a live plant isn’t going to get stuffed in a desk drawer so it will keep your logo in mind sitting on their desk.

Planter Kit: http://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/:quicksearch.htm?quicksearchbox=URZHM-LBLAN

Promote Reusable Items

Help customers reduce the throw-away items in their lives by providing reusable grocery bags or water bottles at your next show. Bonus points if the products is made out of recycled or biodegradable materials!

Recycled Reusable Grocery Bag: http://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/:quicksearch.htm?quicksearchbox=ULUHO-ITLCX

Biodegradable Water Bottle: http://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/:quicksearch.htm?quicksearchbox=PPYGL-FROUO

Source Locally

Using locally made products reduces your carbon footprint. When your product doesn’t travel long distances, you’re promoting better air quality and reducing pollution. In additional to being more eco-friendly, you’re also supporting your community and the local economy.

Seattle Gift Basket: http://www.promoplace.com/keeneysofficesupply/:quicksearch.htm?quicksearchbox=NJUFT-LXMHK

When selecting promotional giveaways for your next event, consider how the consumer will use it, what the product is made or and where the product is coming from to make a sustainable choice. Your future customers will associate you with being a green company and Mother Earth will thank you!

With Earth Day coming up at the end of the month, many people are thinking of projects they can do and events they can participate in to make their community a cleaner place. At Keeney’s, we celebrate Earth Day by planting and cleaning up around our office. Our sustainability efforts won’t end in April though; we have year round programs to make our office as green as possible and some our customers have joined in our efforts to be eco-friendly as well. Check out the list below for ideas on how to make your office greener this year!

Reduce Waste

In recent years, we reduced waste to the landfill by 97 percent. This reduction was a result of company-wide recycling and composting. By taking small steps like reusing our cardboard boxes, we were able to avoid creating over 54,000 cardboard boxes per year while diverting that number of boxes from the landfill.

We also help our customers increase their recycling efforts – contact our Customer Service team to join our pen, toner, cardboard, battery or k-cup recycling programs. info@keeneys.com

Reduce Energy Consumption

We reduced our energy consumption by 20 percent with the completion of a retrofit of the warehouse lights at our Redmond location. Your local energy provider can provide suggestions on for energy efficient improvements, energy-efficient equipment and waste-reducing services. They may even offer incentives or grants to help get you there. https://pse.com/savingsandenergycenter

Use Recycled Products

Purchasing green office supplies is an effortless way to make your office more sustainable. Most manufacturers are starting to offer alternatives that are recycled, compostable or remanufactured. Keeney’s website makes identifying these products easy by labeling each product with sustainable icons.

Visit Shop.keeneys.com and look for the recycling symbol or green leaf. If you are interested in having green product alternatives recommended as you browse, contact info@keeneys.com and ask us to add the “Green Alternatives” protocol to your account.

Offset Carbon Footprint

Since 2012, Keeney’s has been a member of Forterra’s Evergreen Carbon Capture program which calculates the carbon footprint of our business (on a yearly basis) and in turn plants trees to offset our operational impact on the environment. To date, over 400 trees have been planted on our behalf.

Learn how you can get involved at www.forterra.com

While April is Earth Month, consider adopting some or all of these changes to create a more sustainable workplace year round. The Keeney’s team is happy to provide guidance and answer any questions you have about going green.

It’s trade show season in Seattle. While some may be excited to attend workshops and visit vendors, we all know what everyone is really looking forward to: seeing what freebies are available to take home. Think about your last trade show, did you come home with any promotional products? Do you still use that water bottle or free set of headphones from X Company? You most likely do!

Research states that 90.4 percent of trade show attendees reported that they currently still own a promotional product received within the last two years.¹ Furthermore, 71.6 percent of attendees who received a promotional product remembered the name of the company that gave them the product.²

With the high percentages listed above and Earth Day just around the corner, now is the perfect time utilize green promotional products to not only increase your brand awareness, but also share your green mission with current and potential customers.

Sustainability is prevalent in the Washington area, and having a sustainable office is especially important to local businesses (and also to us here at Keeney’s). Prospective clients value what a brand stands for. Providing green promotional products truly reinforces your commitment to sustainability.

Think about all of the styrofoam coffee cups, plastic water cups, and paper products that are disposed in the office each week. Help reduce waste by providing travel coffee mugs, recycled water bottles, or a reusable lunch container to employees, trade show attendees, and consumers. These products are not only green, they also act as an indirect business card for your company, just as any promotional product does.

Take a look at the promotional products you may be utilizing now. Can you provide an eco-friendly alternative? Consider opting for promotional products made out of recycled materials. Some of our favorite products, listed below, can even serve as great conversation starters at trade shows, allowing the opportunity to share your green story while simultaneously promoting your business and services.

What do your promotional products say about your brand? Share your green story with us on our Facebook page.

¹ Source: PPAI Study: Effectiveness of Promotional Products As An Advertising Medium
² Source: PPAI – Georgia Southern University Study