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How to make your business more sustainable in 2020

How to make your business more sustainable in 2020

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How to make your business more sustainable in 2020

 

I’m sure we’d all agree that we could be greener and small changes can have a huge impact on our environment especially for a business or manufacturer. As more and more of us understand the importance of corporate social responsibility and the environmental impact that operational and purchasing processes can have on a business, it’s important to consider how you can become more eco-friendly for your company’s reputation from its customers, employees and stakeholders.

Here are some of the ways you can make your business greener:

Set up a ‘Green Team’

Creating a ‘Green Team’ in the office, or even just allocating a ‘Green Champion’, is a great way to brainstorm new ideas and keep your business becoming more eco-friendly. Empower staff to make important decisions and introduce new initiatives that will encourage all staff and customers to improve their recycling processes. You can even introduce new ‘green policies’ that staff have to abide by such as no plastic bottles in the office or no desk bins. If possible, ensure your Green Team are made up of members from different departments within the business so that you can include different business perspectives. For example, include someone from the operations team to ensure you’re getting the best products as well as a member of the marketing team to discuss how to communicate your green ideas effectively.

Use green products

What do you do once you’ve finished with your used ink pen – throw it in the bin? Probably, because that’s all we’ve ever done. Every year, we fill up landfills with perfectly reusable pens and it’s time to consider stocking up on recycled or reusable stationery instead. Using green stationery will not only help the environment and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills but will save you money and improve your eco-credentials. It may also be worth keeping your office supplies cupboard under management by the designated ‘Green Champion’ who can be sure to see if there’s an eco-alternative or refillable option out there. There are many recycling schemes around which are free of charge and are designed to help make recycling your used batteries, ink and toner cartridges and other items a much easier process.

Clean green

Going green with your cleaning products is also recommended to help improve the health of your cleaning staff and other employees as well as remove harmful toxins from the workplace environment and less harsh chemicals going into our water systems.

Review your waste

Whilst we appreciate that this isn’t particularly the most appealing job to be done, reviewing your waste is an effective way to understand exactly what your business is using and what is being thrown away. Your waste provider will probably have a portal that you can log in to and see the split of recycling and waste to landfill.  This should give you a good indication of any changes that need to be made or new policies that should be introduced. For example, if there are a lot of plastic cups in the bin from the water cooler, replace the cups with eco-friendly and biodegradable versions. We also suggest doing this regularly, such as once a month to measure the success and impact you’re making.   Alternatively, why not consider mains filtered water?

Challenge suppliers or use sustainable suppliers

Getting access to more eco-friendly products can be as simple as asking your existing suppliers to provide a more environmental service or product range or even ask to see their CSR Policy. Just like you, there will be many other businesses asking suppliers the same questions so don’t be afraid! If your current suppliers don’t offer any green products or if they’re not looking to be more environmentally friendly, start looking for other sustainable providers instead.

In the meantime, it’s also important to review what you’re currently purchasing and if there are any internal or external changes that can be made which will quickly improve your eco-credentials. For example:

  1. What type of packaging are you using to send out to customers? Is it recyclable?
  2. Do your delivery vans comply with ULEZ standards?
  3. Are you using single-use plastic void in boxes?
  4. Do you have centralised waste bins in the office or warehouse?
  5. Do you recycle your office equipment?
  6. Are you using recycled stationery and office supplies products?
  7. Do you recycle your paper?
  8. Do you re-use packaging?

Introduce #GreenChallenges

Green challenges can be a fun way of encouraging your employees to be more environmentally friendly. For example, you could challenge your staff to go for a month without using any plastic eating utensils, and then reward those who complete the challenge by offering small (and perhaps even eco-friendly) prizes! Our eco-friendly promotional gifts catalogue is a great place to start looking at prize ideas.

Make the office greener (literally!) 

Bringing shrubs and plants in your building can massively help improve the air quality around your organisation which is essential for your employees. In addition, this will also help your business look a lot more attractive visually and there is only little maintenance required for looking after them. Bringing more nature into the office means more oxygen is produced and creates a happier space for your employees to work in.

Take a look at how Quills can help with your Eco Purchasing and CSR targets by getting in touch with our friendly team who are more than happy to help.

How to showcase and strengthen your brand reputation

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We all know that a strong brand is a key factor to a successful business, so the million-dollar question is how do we achieve this? Promotional branded merchandise or corporate gifts as some of you may know them by is the perfect way to showcase your brand and be a reminder of your company to your potential customers.  Whether it’s for a trade show, conference, training session, exhibition or sampling event, branded merchandise is the gift that keeps advertising for you and shouldn’t be overlooked.

So many items, the choice is endless…

Your company logo can be added to pretty much any item that you want and include a key message. Pens, trolley keys, USBs, trophies, bags, umbrellas or something to eat like mints, chocolates or cakes; the options are endless so there’s something to suit every organisation.

It’s also great to see there’s a huge range of Eco products available so that you can gift sustainably and responsibly.  Eco gifts can include pens made from recycled water bottles, pencils made from recycled CDs, Fair Trade cotton bags and drinks flasks made from plant fibres.

Check out our 5 reasons why using promotional items could be a great addition to your sales and marketing plan for 2019 and beyond…

  1. Your customers will feel more appreciated

Everyone loves a freebie, right? Promotional gifts create a more personal experience with your brand giving you the ability to turn your customers into ambassadors. Ultimately, consumers will recognise and appreciate the effort you’re making to stay in contact and will be more likely to shop with you in the long term. After all, 85% of consumers do business with a company after receiving a promotional product!

  1. It’s a cost-effective way of getting your brand out there

In terms of the customer ‘reach’, promotional merchandise is very cost-effective compared to other traditional methods such as TV or magazine advertisements. Recent research found that consumers hang on to promotional products for around 6.6 months and 63% of consumers pass along the promotional product to someone else when they no longer wish to keep it. Since your promotional product will be passed from one potential customer to the next, your brand exposure could, therefore, be more than doubled.

What’s even better is that your promotional items will often have a much more active interaction with your customers. For example, instead of just looking at your branded advert on a piece of paper, they’ll be writing with your branded pen on a daily basis or carrying around their goods with your branded rucksack which brings a new meaning to advertising on the go!

  1. Stand out from the crowd

This is your brand and your promotional merchandise. You have free reign to be as creative and colourful as you want. Add some personality to your promotional items and get your brand out there. Consumers will admire your bravery and will be much more likely to look at something unique and bold than boring and corporate. Following the legendary fidget spinner craze, organisations including the NCAA, NFL and NHL all have branded versions of the product. Always lookout for the newest crazes that you can put your name on and promote. We’d even suggest having a range of promotional products branded up towards specific markets and occasions.

  1. Use promotional products to generate leads

You can do a lot more with promotional products than just using them in a giveaway competition on social media! Incorporate them into your business strategy and the ROI on these items can be easy. For example, ensure your sales team have a healthy range of promotional products (even just pens) on them at all times so that they can give them away to a potential customer at any point. This is especially useful in sales pitches or at networking opportunities.

  1. Eco-friendly promotional gifts are a talking point

Many of us are taking the next step over to the greener side and trying to do our bit for the environment. By investing in recyclable and eco-friendly promotional gifts you’re not only helping the environment but proving to customers that you’re trying to make a difference. But don’t worry, just because you’re going green doesn’t mean your product choice is limited. For example, our range includes pens made from recycled water bottles or recycled CD cases, pencils made from recycled dollar notes, cotton and jute bags, drinks flasks made from sugar cane and much more. Cool right? You can find a link to the entire eco brochure below…

With so many different options available, what should you put your name on?

According to the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA), the most popular branded item currently being ordered by UK Marketing Managers is the Promotional Bag and Printed Pens. Other frequently ordered items include keyrings, USB sticks, awards and stress items.

Although the above gives a good indication of what may be worth investing in, remember that every audience is different and there are limitless options so be sure to get a wide variety of products to ensure that you’re covered.

Are you ready to get your promotional products?

Quills can get all your promotional items created and ordered in just a few simple steps. Simply head over to our promotional website here or take a look at the catalogue for the full range.

Ordering sustainable eco-products…

To see the full eco-range available, take a look at our brochure here.

Our team are happy to help at print@quillsuk.co.uk if you have any enquiries.