4 Promotional Materials To Give Your Brand An Eco-friendly Twist!

Eco-friendly promotional materials are a great way to promote your brand while also reducing your environmental impact. There are many different types of eco-friendly promotional materials available, so you can find something that fits your budget and branding.

1. Solar Powered Promotional Materials

Solar power is a renewable and sustainable energy source, which makes it ideal for promotional materials. Solar-powered promotional materials can help businesses reduce their environmental impact and appeal to eco-conscious consumers.

Benefits And Significance Of Solar-powered Promotional Materials

Solar-powered promotional materials offer a number of benefits, including:

Solar power is a clean and renewable energy source, so solar-powered promotional materials can help businesses reduce their carbon footprint.

Solar-powered promotional materials are unique and eye-catching, which can help businesses increase brand awareness and attract new customers.

They can provide customers with valuable services, such as charging their phones or other electronic devices. This can help businesses improve customer engagement and build loyalty.

Understanding The Concept Of Solar-powered Promotional Materials

Solar-powered promotional materials work by using solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity. This electricity can then be used to power a variety of devices, such as calculators, garden lights, camping lights, backpacks, power banks, umbrellas, and torches.

Here are a few examples of solar-powered promotional materials that businesses can use.

Solar-powered Promotional Materials Ideas

Example 1. Solar-Powered Backpacks

Solar-powered backpacks can be used to charge phones, tablets, and other electronic devices.

The waterproof, large-capacity backpacks have a solar panel attached to the front, practically making it a power bank with a wattage of 6.5W.

This is a great promotional material for businesses that target outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers who actively participate in outdoor events, adventure sports tournaments, eco-tourism, and camping supplies.

Example 2. Solar Umbrella with Charging Ports

Another ingenious promotional material is a custom solar umbrella with charging ports.

The solar panels on top of the umbrella convert solar energy into electricity that can power the charging ports on the umbrella stand.

Your customers can charge their phones under the umbrella, naturally creating contact opportunities for your brand and customer service teams.

Additionally, an umbrella is a prominent place to feature a brand, making your brand instantly recognisable in the sea of other brands. This is a striking promotional material for any outdoor event on a sunny summer day, ranging from school open days to beach events, food and handicraft fairs, and farmers’ markets.

Example 3. Custom Solar Lights

This particular light is made from ABS material.

Solar-powered, you can ensure that it has the power your customers need during night camping.

It has a mini solar panel that collects the heat energy from the sun.

Moreover, it is also rechargeable, thus allowing users to charge it on the outlet before bringing it in on the trip.

Furthermore, this lamp is very collapsible and portable. It measures only 8.5 cm x 5 cm when folded, making it easy to slip on a bag or pocket. Not only that! Aside from being a custom flashlight or torch, this lamp also functions as a portable charger!

Example 4. Solar-Powered Power Banks

Solar-powered power banks can effectively charge phones, tablets, and other electronic devices on the go.

This eco-friendly method is unique and would stand as great promotional material for businesses that target people who are always on the move, such as business travellers and commuters.

2. Recycled Paper For Promotional Materials

Recycled paper is a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional paper products. Not only is it made from post-consumer waste, such as used paper, cardboard, and packaging, but it is also a readily available alternative to single-use plastics, which have been banned in many countries.

Making the switch to recycled paper promotional materials would be a forward-looking solution with long-term benefits.

Benefits Of Using Recycled Paper

Using recycled materials for promotional materials helps to conserve natural resources, such as trees, water, and energy. This is because recycled materials can be used to create new products without having to extract new raw materials from the Earth.

For example, making paper from recycled pulp requires less energy and water than making paper from virgin wood pulp. Using recycled plastic to make promotional items, such as phone cases and sunglasses, helps to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills and oceans.

By conserving natural resources, businesses can help to protect the environment for future generations.

Recycled paper is often less expensive than virgin paper. This can make it a cost-effective choice for businesses of all sizes.

All in all, recycled paper is a great choice for businesses that are looking for a sustainable and eco-friendly way to promote their products and services. There are many different types of recycled paper available, so businesses can find something that fits their budget and branding

Recycled Paper Promotional Ideas

Example 1. Compostable Paper

Compostable paper is made from plant fibres that can be broken down naturally by microorganisms.

This makes it a great choice for disposable promotional materials, such as food packaging, cups, and shopping bags.

Remember to brainstorm a design that best features your brand alongside the eco-friendly properties of the material.

Example 2. Kraft paper

Kraft paper is a strong and durable type of paper that is often used for packaging and shipping.

It is also a popular choice for promotional materials, such as notebooks, bags, and tags.

Kraft paper has a natural, earthy look that can add a touch of rustic charm to your promotional materials.

With kraft paper, you can make:

• Tubes, cannisters, and pouches for cosmetics, tea, coffee, etc.
• Branded notebooks and paper products.
• Packaging for food and beverages, both hot and cold.

Example 3. Pulp

Pulp boxes are made from recycled paper, which makes them an eco-friendly and sustainable choice for packaging.

Such material is an excellent alternative to plastic, foam and other types of packaging that use non-renewable resources.

This makes them a great option for businesses looking to reduce their environmental impact while also saving money by cutting back on single-use plastics.

Idea from us: Pulp can also be used to make promotional materials, such as trays, coasters, and vases.

3. Recycled Ocean Plastics (ROP) For Promotional Materials

ROP is made from ocean plastic pollution that has been collected and cleaned. The plastic is then sorted and shredded. The shredded plastic flakes are then melted and turned into pellets. These pellets can then be used to make new products and enhanced with additives and eventually manufacture virgin plastic pellets.

Recycled Ocean Plastics Ideas

ROP is also a durable and versatile material that can be used to make a wide range of products, including:

Example 1. Compostable Phone Cases

Compared with other phone cases made from plastic, these cases are undeniably eco-friendly because they are made from plastics that are collected from the sea.

These are made from biodegradable wheat straw, thus you can ensure that it is non-toxic, clean, healthy, and safe for humans and the environment.

Example 2. Recycled Running Shoes

These shoes are made from recycled plastic bottles mixed and cotton fabric, but these shoes are guaranteed durable.

Moreover, these sneakers are comfortable to use, so your customers would certainly like them.

If you are a company that has shifted to work from home mode, then putting together a home workout kit would be ideal.

Example 3. Recycled Promotional Sunglasses

These sunglasses are made from recycled PET bottles.

The bottles are cleaned, crushed, and turned into raw materials.

No matter what business you have, these recycled sunglasses are great for any promotions and industries, whether GWP, on-pack promotion, or freebies.

4. Biodegradable materials

Biodegradable materials, such as corn starch, cork, flax fibre, rice husk, sugarcane, bamboo, rattan, palm leaf, coconut shell, and hemp, can be used to make a variety of unique and sustainable promotional materials.

Thanks to their distinct look and feel, they can quickly reinvent a tired old promotional product. Think of pens, tote bags, caps, lanyards, and tumblers, etc. These materials have a distinct look and feel and can help businesses to stand out from the crowd and show their customers that they are committed to sustainability.

These materials can act as the theme of your promotional campaign. They are an instant booster for your brand image, as customers are finding more ways, and easier ways, to make their consumption more eco-friendly.

Moreover, businesses are coming under more and more pressure to commit to stricter environmental regulations, so introducing these biodegradable materials into your promotional items would make a timely switch with long-term benefits.

Biodegradable Promotional Materials Ideas

Example 1. Rice Husk Cutlery

Made from industrial waste materials, rice husk is biodegradable, making it a green and healthy substitute for disposable plastic cutlery.

Depending on temperature conditions and proper maintenance, rice husk cutlery can last up to 3 years.

Unlike plastic, pieces of cutlery made from rice husk will not melt under high temperatures. This means they are more durable than disposable plastic ones. They are even microwave-safe!

Example 2. Corn Starch Packaging

Corn starch comes from corn, which is a renewable resource.

Compostable in industrial composting facilities and then reintegrated as an agriculture fertilizer. Hence, it is less likely to pollute the environment.

It does not contain harmful chemicals (such as polyvinyl chloride or dioxin) associated with conventional plastic.

Example 3. Biodegradable Eco-Bags

These biodegradable tote bags are made from corn starch.

The bags are decomposable when exposed to natural elements such as air, moisture and sunlight.

This does not reduce the quality of the bag, as it will stay in good form even when exposed to these elements.

Promotional materials need a facelift – these eco-friendly products can help!

Promotional products are designed for popularity and marketing, and eco-friendly hacks, materials, and awareness are always popular on social media. The sustainability angle provides great material for your next marketing strategy since this theme touches upon most aspects of the consumers’ lives.

Consider joining environmental events with eco-friendly business cards to impress your audience and raise brand awareness. Also, include educational materials about environmental protection in your marketing messaging – your customers would appreciate the nifty and readily available solutions you provide.

Discover how other brands embrace eco-friendly promotional materials:

Continuing its commitment to eliminating single-use plastic from its stores by 2025, Carrefour offered these custom eco-friendly tote bags to its customers in Dubai.

Bacardi Limited has partnered with Lonely Whale & Sorbos Straws to remove single-use plastic straws. In fact, they are not only boosting their sales but helping the environment.

Paymaya, the online payment app, gave away eco-friendly notebook sets to customers, for their latest credit card promotion. This set comes complete with a notebook and pen, both made from post-consumer recycled paper.

https://www.theodmgroup.com/paymaya-eco-friendly-notebook-set/

One of the things that caught our attention is this eco-packaging for a promotional giveaway item. It may appear small and simple, yet we found this custom packaging idea a significant factor in reinforcing the theme of the El Salvador Pavilion and of course, the commitment of the brand behind it.

Johnnie Walker launched its paper bottles for their Whisky in Spring 2021. The paper pulp is 100% plastic-free and is recyclable.

Conclusion

Eco-friendly promotional materials are a great way to show your customers that you care about the environment and are committed to sustainability. They can also help you to attract new customers and build loyalty with existing customers.

In this blog post, we have shared four ideas for eco-friendly promotional materials that will impress your customers:

• Solar-powered promotional materials
• Recycled paper promotional materials
• Recycled ocean plastics (ROP) promotional materials
• Biodegradable promotional materials

If you are looking for a way to make your promotional materials more sustainable, consider using one of these four ideas. You can also contact The ODM Group to get a detailed quote and help you bring your ideas for eco-friendly promotional materials into reality.

All you need to know about eco-friendly promotional materials!

What to Read Next?