Brands and the Environment - October News

David Platt • 30 October 2019

Keep up to date as to how a few brands are helping or hurting our planet.

eco friendly brands

Proctor and Gamble Pledge on the Use of Plastics

Many major news outlets carried the big P&G announcement, including the Grocer and BBC, that Procter & Gamble plans to take 9,000 tonnes of virgin plastic out of its supply chain every year.

The move, which will roll out in early 2020, will see 300 million Fairy, Viakal and Flash bottles converted to 100% recycled or partially recycled plastic bottles using post-consumer and post-industrial resin. P&G said this was “ equal to the amount of waste generated by 6.5 million Europeans per day”.

“We are proud of this significant milestone across our cleaning products as we know with our immense scale we can create a positive impact” said Elvan Onal, P&G vice president for home care products in Europe.

Ryanair the Low Emissions Airline - Or Not...

Matt Reynolds of the Wired launched into an attack on Ryanair this month because what of he saw as the worst king of PR and ‘greenwashing’. It all started with an advert

“Everybody knows that when you fly Ryanair you enjoy the lowest fares. But do you know you are travelling on the airline with Europe’s lowest emissions as well?” reads one advert.

The claim arises because Ryanair was using the figures for the CO2 produced per passenger kilometre. Ryanair’s figure – and the reason why it can lay claim to being Europe’s “lowest emissions” airline – is 67 grams of CO2 per passenger kilometre. That’s the lowest for any EU airline.

So far so good you might have thought. But, as Reynolds points out this is more than a little disingenuous and arises because of the short haul nature and the number of passengers per flight, rather than actually making any environmental improvements to their brand.

Of the European Union’s ten biggest carbon dioxide emitters, nine of them are coal-fired power plants. The tenth is Ryanair, the low-cost Irish airline which released 9.9 mega tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2018 – a 6.9 per cent increase from 2017.

Brands realise the importance of going green, but when you lie and get caught out, and you will, you can turn everyone against you.

The John Lewis Group to Remove Plastic Toys from Crackers this Xmas.

Pavilion was particularly interested in the announcement by the announcement that John Lewis and Waitrose would remove plastic toys from their Christmas crackers this year. This came from the realisation that novelty products may have their place, but it is unacceptable for them to be made of plastic, particularly ones that are commonly forgotten about before people dig into dessert. As a promotional products supplier surrounded by competitors selling single use novelty nonsense made from plastic, we are so pleased to see a big brand taking a position of this. We are not against fun, not against the giveaway just against the single use plastic

Share this blog:

Eco promotional products image

Statistics on the Eco Promotional Product Market 2025

by David Platt • 9 September 2025
Statisics on the UK market for eco promotional products - size and attitude
Cmparioon f romotional prduct ricing

What is the price of an ECO promotional product

by David Platt • 26 August 2025
T he Changing Cost of Eco-Friendly Products: Is There Still a Premium? SUMMARY • Eco-friendly promotional products used to be 25-30% more expensive • In recent years the volume of eco friendly products has grown substantially • So, the price differences have eroded • Eco and non-eco are now comparable in price – the product features and embellishments are more important to the price, than the eco status In recent years, the market for eco-friendly promotional products has undergone significant changes. Hi, I'm David from Pavilion, and I'm here to explore just how much the pricing paradigm has shifted for products branded as "eco" compared to their standard counterparts. If you'd asked me this question five years ago, I would have estimated a premium of 20-30% for eco products. However, the last half-decade has brought some surprising developments. Eco Products Go Mainstream Eco products have become increasingly mainstream, leading to higher volumes and reduced manufacturing costs. To understand how this has affected pricing, I conducted a survey comparing various popular products. Comparative Survey of Eco Versus Standard Products **Notebooks**: I started with notebooks, considering a batch of 100 with a one-color print. Comparing a standard hard-backed notebook made from PU (polyurethane) to a recycled PU version revealed minimal price differences—around 5%. While eco options like recycled leather or apple peel versions are pricier (£12-14 each), they compare more to luxury brands like Moleskine.

Ultimate Guide to finding an Eco Promotional Product

by David Platt • 27 July 2025
Searching for a branded gift or promotional product? Finding it hard to discover something new, something different? This post will give you a different way of finding what you are looking for by explaining how the industry works and why endless browsing may not be the right approach - or you can watch the video here 1. Understanding how the promotional products industry works a. Promotional Products Distributors The web sites you see on Google are numerous – indeed there are 2,873 distributors in the UK, each selling branded merchandise and each with a website. The web sites vary from the aesthetically pleasing to the overcrowded. BUT you will see the same products on many different web sites – why? b. Promotional Products Manufacturers The number of actual manufacturers is relatively small – a few hundred – each making a single product line, whether that be bags, notebooks, pens or clothing. But the vast majority of the manufacturers will only sell to the Trade – you will find it difficult to access them without the distributor. c. Merchandise Wholesalers In addition to the manufacturers, there an even smaller number of ‘wholesalers’. These Trade only suppliers will stock a huge range of products from many different sources and brand the product with your logo. They may also allow electronic feeds of their products to the distributor websites. d. Images of products So, as you search the myriad of websites presented by Google, you are looking at distributors with potentially the same product lines. ‘But they appear different’ – I hear you say. Yes, that is because each distributor, ourselves included, chooses what we believe to be the best promotional products for a particular price and quality, and the best images. Three problems We may have chosen the wrong products We may have chosen the wrong image The products constantly change so it is really tough to keep the website updated But, remember all the distributors buy from the same sources and virtually all could supply ANY of the products you see….. 2. I don’t know what I am looking for but will know it when I see it! This is true for 95% plus of everyone searching. You do however have some basic parameters: Rough cost per item Estimate of the quantity An understanding of who it’s for An understanding of your brand How the product will be used TIMING This last one is the ‘real kicker’ – you may find what you want but not be able to get it in time – in our experience this happens so often. 3. Alternative approach – a guide So, what is the alternative approach? Have the distributor do the work for you – for FREE We spend every day looking at products, attending industry exhibitions and meeting with manufacturers and wholesalers. We know what is available and when. We can help you clarify a brief and then present you with ideas. We can even quote on a product you have seen elsewhere. See us as your guide. OUR PROMISE – no pushy sales people – happy to chat by email or WhatsApp if you prefer.
Show More