We here at PPAI talk a lot about sustainability and its importance for the future of the promotional products industry.
But what exactly does sustainability mean in terms of promo?
According to the official definition unveiled by the Association: “sustainability in the promotional products industry means making, sourcing and distributing promotional items in ways that reduce negative environmental and social impacts while supporting long-term economic success.”
“Our hope with this is to give members somewhere to start and to come back to when they’re unclear to guide their decisions as they pertain to the big wide world of sustainability,” says Elizabeth Wimbush, director of sustainability and responsibility at PPAI.
The Process
When Wimbush joined PPAI nearly a year ago as the Association’s inaugural director of sustainability and responsibility, she spent most of her time on calls and in meetings with members and colleagues, asking what they felt should be her first step in the newly created role.
The answer was unanimous: Let’s define what sustainability means for our industry.
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It even became the first order of business for the Sustainability Action Group, which includes 15 industry volunteers from suppliers, distributors and business services providers.
“We talked through, edited and reviewed what we all felt was a well-rounded, fair and approachable definition of sustainability for promo,” Wimbush says, adding that the PPAI Board of Directors and Association leadership also weighed in on the final version.
“The plan is that it will be ever evolving,” Wimbush says. “Sustainability doesn’t have an end goal – only ongoing improvement. So, the definition will be added to, improved and updated as the industry evolves with feedback from both members and outside industry experts.”
