Which Decoration Method for Promotional Products Is Best for the Environment?
29 October 2024
Eco-friendly promotional goods and the decoration methods
When choosing eco-friendly promotional products, the materials we choose are only half the equation. How we brand and decorate these items can also make a significant environmental impact. Today, we’re exploring the most popular decoration methods—screen printing, pad printing, embossing, transfer printing and embroidery—to see which is best for the environment.
1. Screen Printing
How It Works: Screen printing involves pressing ink through a mesh screen onto the product, one colour at a time.
Environmental Impact:
- Pros: Screen printing can be eco-friendly if water-based or plant-based inks are used, which avoid harsh chemicals. Water based screen printing is not common.
- Cons: Traditional screen printing uses plastisol inks containing PVC and phthalates, which can leach into the environment. Additionally, screens need to be cleaned, often with chemical solvents, generating wastewater.
Green Tips: Opt for companies that use eco-friendly inks and solvent-free cleaning methods. Look for certifications or statements about their environmental practices.
2. Pad Printing
How It Works: Pad printing transfers ink from an etched plate onto the product using a silicone pad, making it ideal for printing on curved or uneven surfaces.
Environmental Impact:
- Pros: Pad printing uses less ink than other methods, which can reduce waste.
- Cons: Traditional inks may still contain harmful solvents. Additionally, the etched plates are often single-use, leading to metal waste.
Green Tips: Some companies now offer solvent-free inks or use non-toxic alternatives. Reusable or recyclable plates can also make a difference.
3. Embossing and Debossing
How It Works: Embossing raises the design on the product surface, while debossing indents it, creating a tactile, ink-free design.
Environmental Impact:
- Pros: This method requires no ink, solvents, or other chemicals. Once a die is created, it can often be reused for multiple runs.
- Cons: Dies are often made from metal, which can be energy-intensive to produce, but their longevity can balance this impact.
Green Tips: Choosing embossing or debossing on eco-friendly materials can be one of the greenest options for a lasting, chemical-free design.
4. Embroidery
How It Works: Embroidery involves stitching thread into the fabric to create the design, providing durability and a high-quality appearance.
Environmental Impact:
- Pros: No chemicals or inks are used, and embroidery can last as long as the product itself, reducing waste over time.
- Cons: Synthetic threads, like polyester, are petroleum-based. However, natural thread options are available, although they may be more costly.
Green Tips: Opt for organic or recycled thread and ensure the embroidery process is powered by renewable energy if possible.
5. Transfer Printing
How It Works: Transfer printing uses heat to apply pre-printed designs from a special paper onto the product surface. It’s commonly used on fabrics but can also work on hard surfaces.
Environmental Impact:
- Pros: Transfer printing can achieve vibrant, multi-colour designs in a single application, reducing waste from multiple colour layers and screens.
- Cons: Traditional transfer printing often involves plastic-based films and adhesives that aren’t biodegradable. Heat pressing also consumes energy, and the materials used in transfer papers and films may not be recyclable.
Green Tips: Look for transfer processes that use biodegradable or recycled films, water-based inks, and energy-efficient equipment. Some companies are now offering eco-transfer methods that limit or eliminate plastic in the process.
Adding transfer printing to your selection provides versatility, especially for detailed designs, while still allowing for eco-friendly choices that minimize environmental impact.
So, Which Method is Best for the Environment?
For a low-impact branding option, embossing/debossing and embroidery come out on top due to their minimal use of chemicals and potential longevity. However, every method can be made greener by choosing eco-friendly materials, inks, and energy sources.
Making Environmentally Smart Choices
When selecting a decoration method, consider the product's lifespan, intended use, and materials. Small changes, like choosing water-based inks or sustainable threads, can have a big impact when multiplied across thousands of products.
By making informed decisions about decoration methods, you can elevate your brand and your commitment to the environment simultaneously.
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Statisics on the UK market for eco promotional products - size and attitude
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.
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.
