Green Options for Event Giveaways

Giving away promotional items is a popular way for companies to get their brand into the hands of attendees. However, this practice has a significant environmental impact. Our goal for the Earth Day Festival and the other events we partner with through our Recycling On the Go program is to be low-impact. Don’t be the company whose name appears on give-a-way items that fill the trash cans at our event and risk sending a bad message about your business to attendees!

Questions to consider when selecting giveaways:

1. Is a giveaway necessary? Is it an effective way to get our brand out? Are there alternatives to the giveaway in this case?

2. What is the item made of? Is it made from post-consumer or pre-consumer recyclable materials? Is the material organic (like cotton) or recycled (like some polyester products) or naturally compostable (like fruit or seeds)?

3. Is this item made in the USA or overseas? Is the item locally made in mid-west?

4. Can this item be easily recycled or composted once it is no longer needed/wanted?

5. How long will the recipient want/use this item? Is the item useful?

6. Are the items individually wrapped? How will you contain the wrapping? Can you request that the manufacturer leave out the wrapping? Perhaps you can unwrap prior to the event and recycle plastic bags at the grocery store to avoid letting them enter the event waste stream.

Here are SUGGESTIONS FOR GIVEAWAYS that are unique, useful, high-quality, desirable and/or support sustainable living. All of our suggestions can be creatively branded:

Metro passes
Compact fluorescent, energy efficient light bulbs (CFLs)
T-shirts (organic and/or recycled material only)
Seed packets (organic or heirloom)
Yearling trees (natives with instructions for planting)
Coupons (printed on recycled paper with low dye and soy ink)
Energy efficient/LED night lights (See Metro Lighting)
Upcycled/Reused bicycle chain key chain (See Resource Revival)
Bird Feeder
Attractive, locally printed posters/flyers (Fire Cracker Press)
Bottle opener
Recycled paper notebook or memo pad
Reusable mug
Reusable shopping bags – There are MANY different varieties, ranging from small stuffable bags to large durable bags. While very useful, it is a common giveaway. Make sure yours is durable, functional, and made with eco-friendly material. Try bags made from old banners that include your logo (see Sew Sack Sew below)

Reusable water bottles – Metal water bottles are preferred over plastic. If it’s plastic, make sure it is BPA free and made from # 1, #2 plastic, which are both recyclable. Have a water cooler available so people can fill them up and use them right away instead of buying bottled water. Maybe include some information about the benefits of tap water over bottled water.

Pens & Pencils – Everyone can use writing implements. Look for options that are good quality (won’t run out of ink quickly) and that are made with recycled plastic or a unique material like recycled currency. Pedro’s Planet has “eco” versions that are biodegradable and recycled.

Examples of ITEMS to AVOID

Marti Gras-style beads – (quickly disposable, not eco-friendly)
Mini-frisbees that aren’t functional as frisbees (anything less than 175 gram size)
T-shirts made from standard cotton or polyester
Plastic goodie bags
Candy – (wrappers contaminate the waste stream)
Energy or granola bars – (wrappers contaminate the waste stream)
Balloons – (quickly become trash or end up in the waterways)
Coozies/drink insulators – (overdone, quickly disposable)

Recommended Vendors for Appropriate Promotional Products

Resource Revival: This US-based company makes promotional products and awards from recycled bicycle parts (Oregon USA).

Pedro’s Planet: Eco-friendly office supplies, with an extensive catalog of items that would make great giveaways. Locally-owned and St. Louis community leader.

Get Green with Geiger: Green line of promotional products and has a reference guide for “earth friendly products. Local contact: 314.432.4703

Seed Packets/Garden Supplies: Peaceful Valley or Seed Savers

Sew Sack Sew: This company has been St. Louis Earth Day Festival vendor for several years. They make “upcycled” bags from vinyl banners, supplied by local companies and organizations; having made old banners into bags for Pure Power and the Missouri Botanical Garden).

The Firecracker Press: Local St. Louis graphic design studio and letterpress printshop that uses computer design software to conceive ideas then carves woodblocks and prints by hand to produce event posters, business cards, party invitations, advertising, and more.

If you have any questions along the way as you are determining your giveaway approach and selecting items, please contact St. Louis Earth Day!