Last September, PPAI partnered with Green Business Benchmark to help member companies create and track their own sustainability goals with certifications available through GBB. Houston-based supplier HIRSCH is the most recent company to achieve a Platinum Certification from the organization.


“We are thrilled to share our plans for conscious growth with our industry partners and clients,”
says HIRSCH CEO Paul Hirsch. “Having sustainability initiatives are so important to us as an organization, as well as the rest of the industry, and we look forward to doing our part.”

We are thrilled to share our plans for conscious growth with our industry partners and clients.

Paul Hirsch

CEO, HIRSCH

The supplier’s initiatives include sustainability goals through 2035. By that time, HIRSCH intends to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions to net neutral and cut its Scope 3 emissions in half. More than 70% of the supplier’s product portfolio currently has some form of public sustainability policy.

“We understand that sustainability is not just a priority for our clients but a cornerstone of our shared future,” says Brittany Frase, vice president of sales at HIRSCH and a 2024 PPAI Rising Star. “By integrating eco-friendly practices and products into our company and offerings, we intend to meet the demands of conscientious consumers and drive meaningful growth.”

We understand that sustainability is not just a priority for our clients but a cornerstone of our shared future.”

Brittany Frase

Vice President of Sales, HIRSCH

Industry Success In Sustainability Is Possible

GBB offers sustainability management, program management, benchmarking and offers well-respected certifications.

  • PPAI members can now access GBB’s standard or premium memberships for 50% off of the normal price.
  • Interested members can access that discount – and learn more – by clicking here.


GBB’s many offerings and possibilities come together to take the daunting and often unrealistic tasks in front of an organization that might find itself Googling, “How to be sustainable” and turns them into initiatives that are every bit as approachable and detailed as any other business plan.

“This really starts to narrow your scope and gives you a better sense of what you can do,” says Elizabeth Wimbush, PPAI’s director of sustainability and responsibility, who played a large role in helping curate the specifics of the partnership.

RELATED: PPAI, Green Business Benchmark To Hold Open ‘Office Hours’

The Association hopes this enables large-scale progress by empowering members to go further in a direction than many clients and end users may already be asking of them. Over time, the industry can reshape its reputation into one in which companies are known for their efforts in sustainability.

PPAI’s partnership with Green Business Benchmark marks an important step toward embedding sustainability into the core of the promotional products industry and our day-to-day operations,” says Denise Taschereau, founder of Canadian distributor Fairware and PPAI Board Chair.

“By offering members tools and benchmarks for ethical and sustainable business practices, this collaboration empowers PPAI members to meet rising consumer demand for sustainable products, while also positioning the industry for long-term growth in a responsible and impactful way.”