Continued Environmental Concerns

US President Barack Obama has called on his party and supporters to back a “new future” of clean energy.

Visiting areas affected by the BP oil spill, he said the full resources of government were being used, with 17,500 National Guard soldiers available. BP’s US head, Lamar McKay, is to return to Congress shortly for further questioning.

Oil has been spewing into the Gulf of Mexico since a drilling rig it leased exploded and sank in April. The company has put the cost of the clean-up to date at $1.6bn (£1bn).  Mr Obama has been touring Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, on his fourth visit to the region since the spill.

He promised Americans living on the Gulf of Mexico that their beaches would be restored to pristine condition, vowing that he would bring full force to bear on BP to pay for the damage from oil pollution. He is due to put his demands to BP executives when he meets them face to face for the first time on Wednesday.

Remember if your business shares the planet’s environmental worries, and would rather market itself using eco friendly promotional products, then contact the friendly team over at Ecoproducts2order.

Apple defend conditions at iPhone factory.

Apple head honchos Steve Jobs has defended conditions at their Tai factory that produces the firm’s popular iPhone, following a string of thirteen suicides and attempted suicides.

The deaths have shone a spotlight on working conditions at the factory, where workers - often from rural China - work up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. But Mr Jobs defended the conditions; “You go in this place and it’s a factory but, my gosh, they’ve got restaurants and movie theatres and hospitals and swimming pools. For a factory, it’s pretty nice,” he said.

If you are concerned about the sourcing of USB memory chips, or any other electrical components that we sell here at Gift Selection or Gadgets2order, then rest assured that all our promotional products meet environmental and ethical standards.   

Fairtrade Chocolate

Fairtrade sales were up 12% in 2009 despite the tough economic climate as shoppers increasingly turned to products approved by the only independent guarantee of a better deal for Third World producers.

Last year, sales of Fairtrade goods reached an estimated retail value of £799m and the Fairtrade Foundation also claims that 71% of people who do not already buy everything they can Fairtrade, are willing to swap one or more products during Fairtrade Fortnight which starts today. Although I don’t think even 5% of the population even know it is Fairtrade Fortnight.

Fairtrade products have found their way into the promotional product market too. If you want to market your businesses along especially ethical lines, then choosing Fairtrade promotional confectionery is a distinctive way to get your message across. Fairtrade promotional confectionery is only available from certain quality distributers, such as Gift Selection and Sweets2order. If you have any questions relating to any Fairtrade promotional confectionery, give their friendly sales team a call.

If your organisation did decide to swap their promotional confectionery for Fairtrade promotional confectionery, they would be following a trend from major chocolate suppliers. Last year, large brands that have switched to Fairtrade included Cadbury Dairy Milk, all Starbucks espresso-based coffee and Nestle’s four-finger Kit Kat. This week, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream announced that it is going 100% Fairtrade in the UK and throughout Europe by the end of 2011. While back last month, Green & Black’s switched its entire range of chocolate bars and beverages to 100% Fairtrade by the end of 2011.

New Eco Mugs

If your business is looking for an eco friendly promotional mug, then up until recently the choice has been fairly limited. However the printed mug experts at The Mugstore, are slowly but surely producing new environmentally friendly mugs.

The Mugstore is one of the few people producing bright white promotional eco mugs, and achieve this by using biodegradable corn plastic. This eco friendly material is being seen more and more in the world of stationary - and is now available in mug form! If you’re looking for an alternative to a traditionally acrylic mug, then contact the friendly team at The Mugstore.

Eco Puzzles

Here at Gift Selection we are big fans of wholesome family fun, and have discovered some eco friendly promotional toys and puzzles, that are great fun.

If you’re looking to show the softer side to your brand, then the promotional eco puzzle has attractive minimal styling and will keep your grey matter ticking over. The classic wooden puzzle arrives in an eco friendly drawstring cotton pouch, so it will show of your eco credential perfectly.

To add a sense of nostalgia to your brand, consider investing in some promotional eco yo-yos.This  unusual promotional product is made from recycled CD cases of all things.

With summer fast approaching you  may be looking to invest in some promotional items that can be used outdoors. There are a great range of promotional outdoor items such as a recycled boomerang, a recycled frizbee or an eco venus flyer for example.

New Eco Writing Instruments

Environmentally friendly promotional products are becoming increasingly popular, and promotional pens have long been a staple of the promotional products industry. Ecoproducts2order have recently added a considerable number of new eco friendly writing instruments to their range which are well worth checking out.

The humble promotional pencil for example has had a new lease of life! Now your printed pencils are available in a range new eco friendly materials. These are great for mother Earth and for marketing your business with. Everybody has seen a promotional pencil made from recycled paper, but now you can have one made from tin foil! If your business is looking for something a little different, then my personal favourite are the black eco pencils, which are made from old videos! Who’d have thought you’d be using your old VHS again…

If you’re looking for more of a luxury eco writing instrument, then now you can order a recycled mechanical pencil. Mechanical pencils have a high perceived value, and make for cost effective eco friendly promotional items.

It’s not just recycled pencils that await you at ecoproducts2order, but eco friendly pens too. Eco friendly pens are now available in a range of vibrant colours, thanks to new advances in recycled plastics. The biggest development of eco friendly promotional pens, is that of using of corn starch in the manufacturing of pens. These pens are around 80% biodegradable, and are available in a range of attractive styles and designs.

If your business is looking for a slightly quirky pen to use as a marketing tool, then their recycled car pen is worth considering. These pens make use of an innovative manufacturing process, and are great value for money.

Ecoproducts2order has a full range of promotional writing instruments made out of various materials, so give their friendly team a call for more information.

Cottoned On To Climate Change?

As climate change and environmental issues become more prominent in the press, the public are becoming more in-tune to the pressing need for action. In 2007, renewable energy accounted for about 5% of all energy produced in the UK, which is almost four times more than in 1991. However 24% of adults still leave their TVs on standby overnight.

If you’re looking for environmentally friendly promotional products, to reduce the carbon footprint of your brand, then Giftselection and ecoproducts2order are two great suppliers of such goods. One of the most popular eco friendly promotional items, and a personal favourite of mine are the cotton shoppers. Promotional cotton bags are both practical, and have a great branding area. Also printed cotton shoppers look great too, as the natural materials they use are visual appealing. Plus a promotional cotton shopper can be used again, so they make especially cost effective promotional items.

They can produce promotional cotton bags with long handles, short handles or backpacks. If you require a promotional cotton bag in a particular style let them know, and they will source it for you.

Eco USB Flash Drives

Printed USB flash drives are a popular promotional item for all kinds of businesses. Promotional flash drives have for a long time been a staple marketing tool, as a quality trade show giveaway or as a mailing item. Promotional flash drives have come along way in the last few years, with many new materials being available other than regular plastic.

Gadgets2order has recently seen a massive overhaul of its promotional USB drives, and now offers many great flash drives in new materials. Natural looking wooden USB drives are becoming more and more popular, and gadgets2order has an attractive selection. Whether you’re interested in wood USB flash drives for an environmental point of view or from an aesthetic one, they still make eye catching promotional office items.

Other environmentally friendly flash drives are one’s made out of bamboo rather than wood, which have a particularly nice feel to them. If your business is looking for an eco friendly flash drive that is a little unusual, gadgets2order has recently made available recycled paper flash drives too.

Using natural products like wood and bamboo, as well as recycled products like paper and plastic for promotional items is obviously kinder on the environment. But promotional flash drives are eco friendly in perhaps more surprising ways. Click here to read another article explaining the eco benefits of using promotional flash drives as a corporate gift.

Whether you’re looking for a pale wood USB flash drive or one with a darker or coloured finish, their friendly team will be able to advise you appropriately.

Looking Into Jute

As business become more and more environmentally aware, jute bags are becoming increasingly popular as a promotional items.

If you’ve ever wondered what that your eco friendly jute shopper is actually made from, then read on.

Jute is actually a vegetable fiber, that is long soft and shiny which makes it ideal for spinning into strong threads. Jute fibers are composed of a mixture of the plant materials and wood fibers. Jute lends itself to the promotional industry as it is one of the cheapest natural fibers available, and is second only to cotton in the amount produced and variety of uses.

Jute fibers are otherwise known as hessian; or as burlap in North America – so now you know!

How To Save The Planet

Environmentally friendly promotional products have never been so popular, and rightly so as the business world becomes accustomed to the consequences of global warming.

With eco corporate gifts taken many forms, one is often left wondering which is the most eco friendly promotional product. It seems the answer has been under our noses the whole time. Promotional USB memory drives are actually the unlikely hero of the green revolution.

How can a promotional product be so eco friendly when they are not biodegradable, and tend not to be made from recycled materials. The answer is that you’re humble personalised USB flash drive is actually saving hundreds, if not thousands of trees.

It has been estimated that a typical USB flash of 1GB, can hold enough documents that would be the equivalent of fifty trees. What is more, every time the promotional flash drives memory is reused the number of tree lives you have spared multiplies. Also your business can now purchase the USB drives pre-loaded with your business’ custom data on, and save thousands of pounds in printing costs, as well as helping the environment.

Promotional USB drives can be especially eco friendly, as now they are available in various green materials. A stylish option would be a wood or maybe a bamboo flash drive, with  recycled plastic options also available.