Ethical Gifts

I get very angry, when I’m out walking my two little pooches along the local beach, and find items of plastic that have been washed up on the shoreline. So much so, that I now carry a box with me, to collect discarded plastic items and take them to the recycling centre. I know this gesture isn’t as impressive as Rob Thomas, who recycles the plastic he finds on his beach to make kayaks for fellow kayakers to collect more plastic, but every little helps as they say.

Over the past 12 months TV programmes, like the BBC & David Attenborough’s excellent Blue Planet II series, have raised our awareness of the harm that single-use plastics are doing to the environment. Here at Redside, I make sure that all members of the Hartley tribe recycle the packaging we bring into our abode. And our beautiful home town of North Berwick is currently running initiatives for everyone to replace as much plastic as they can.

Thankfully manufacturers are now waking up to the public swell of unpopularity towards plastic. They are starting to produce viable alternative items that can still be successfully branded and given as promotional items or business gifts. But more importantly, by giving ‘green’ gifts your organisation is demonstrating that it cares about the environment.

In my travels I’ve seen products made from biodegradable materials, sustainable materials, and even recycled materials. The wonderful paper manufacturer, GF Smith, recently launched Extract – a pioneering paper made from paper cups that were destined for landfill. It’s beautiful! Aluminium straws, non-spill reusable cups for coffee, and forest stewardship council (FSC) wooden products are all proving to be highly popular as giveaways right now.

If your company is fast approaching the ethical freebies crossroads, but is unsure which route to take, then why not get in touch? Branding Up is here to help you stay on-track. Get in touch and let’s chat about the wonderful array of non-plastic gifts that are available to you.