Sustainable Corporate Gifts – What Does It Say About Your Corporate Culture?

How to Support Your Brand Personality with Corporate Gifts that Promote Sustainability

When dealing with organizations for corporate gifts or other promotional business gifting, there are three points always reinforced in the sales process:

• Cost

• Delivery

• Quality

In this changing society, sustainability is being added as a major factor of doing business. Organizations are developing a culture of sustainability, but what exactly does this mean?

The definition of sustainability, as most frequently cited from the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), states that businesses operating in ways that…

“meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland, 1987).

Going green is about showing how a company relates to its social responsibility to their stakeholders and their community by purchasing products that are considered sustainable. Industry experts are a-buzz on what sustainability means about an organization’s corporate culture, brand personality and sales prospects:

• Your company can obtain more business through commitments to sustainability – Kathy Smith, Miller Consultants.

• Increase Employee Retention and Recruitment – Eco-officiency.

• Sustainability is driving innovation – Peter Graf, SAP’s Chief Sustainability Officer.

• Sustainability is the next quality movement that reflects on an organization’s brand – Kevin Myette, Director of Product Integrity at Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI).

Striving to be a “green” organization means understanding what suppliers have to offer in terms of sustainable products and practices. Does it fit your corporate culture, sustainability practices and brand personality? Are your suppliers just jumping on the “go green” bandwagon or do they actually stand behind their sustainable practices and demonstrate them in process and materials?

Working towards an environmental friendly business means making significant changes in the way organizations collaborate and engage with their supply chains throughout their business. It often means businesses need to decide what their thresholds for sustainable products will be in terms of benchmarks for green B2B products/services:

• Energy savings,

• Resource conservation

• Reduced emissions

Clearmount’s Commitment to Sustainability

Over the years, Clearmount has worked hard to develop a sustainable corporate gifts product line and make significant production process changes to match our commitment to sustainable business practices.

Lucite:

• The Lucite awards we manufacture and produce in our manufacturing plant in Toronto are carefully designed so they will be kept for a lifetime.

• The off cuts and scraps of the Lucite are then sent off to be reclaimed and recycled.

SIGG:

• The SIGG water bottles are durable and tough, so can last a very long time without need for replacement.

• SIGG bottles are manufactured from the most eco-friendly and high quality materials that lend themselves to recycling.

• SIGG bottles are an environmental choice as they replace disposable water bottles that create billions of unnecessary waste to our communities and planet.

Eco-friendly Frames and Plaques:

• ECO Frames come from audited and harvested forests.

• The stains, glass, mattes and inks used in their production of ECO Frames are all from environmentally friendly or sustainable materials.

• Our non-FSC framing projects are also very environmentally friendly – inks, stains, glass and mattes used in framing are produced from recycled components.

• Our plaques are made from FSC certified wood and are formaldehyde free, with 100% biodegradable laminate. If we print certificates or art, we use 100% FSC certified recycled white and coloured papers.

We do not profess to have all the answers when it comes to being 100% sustainable, I think it would be difficult for any business to claim that, but what we can do is offer products that we know will complement your corporate culture and brand in your pursuit of sustainable and environmentally friendly awards and gifts.

What product do we have that will fit your sustainability goals? Check out our sustainable corporate gifts options and let us know how we can help you go green.