Our sustainability journey
Promotional supplier Preseli offers a wide range of best-selling products from lanyards and badges through to umbrellas, pet products and exclusive brands such as Rubik’s and Magic Concepts.
It was among the first companies to sign up to the BPMA’s StepForward pledge and has supported sustainability efforts at Merchandise World with recyclable lanyards. It is also working with BPMA partner, A Good Thing to help find uses for surplus merchandise.
Product Media spoke to the company about its approach.
Q. What steps have you taken to improve sustainability?
A. We have had our own in-house compliance team for close to 10 years and this has become core to our responsible sourcing policies and wider sustainability objectives. Sustainability has rapidly become the area that our customers and their end users are most interested in.
As one of the first companies to make the StepForward Pledge we have committed to sourcing more sustainable materials in key areas, and are gradually working towards offering our best selling products in sustainable materials. Our award-winning paper lanyards are an example of genuine product innovation developed from source.
Q.What steps would you like to take in future?
A. We are working with material manufacturers to find the next generation of more sustainable raw materials. In terms of recyclability of our products, an exciting announcement we are able to make is that our polyester and RPET lanyards can be recycled (once fittings removed) to become plastic pellets for reuse. Also, our local authority has confirmed that our paper lanyards (once fittings removed) are suitable for kerbside recycling.
Q. What is your biggest challenge around sustainability?
A. It is a complex area, for example we recently stepped away from claims products or packaging are biodegradable/compostable as in reality it is often only achievable under strict and often unavailable factory conditions.
Q. What has the response been to your efforts?
A. Staff have responded positively by getting involved in local litter picking and identifying products for charity donations via A Good Thing. Customers have responded favourably to our offer to collect lanyards for recycling or reuse after exhibitions.
Merchandise World lanyards
Preseli has supplied the Merchandise World show lanyards for a number of years, and last year it ran a lanyard repurposing initiative as part of its commitment to the BPMA StepForward Pledge.
Merchandise World had dedicated lanyard recycling bins in place for the first time, encouraging visitors to return their lanyards for onward use. Preseli worked with local charities to find ways to repurpose items and ensure that all lanyards were repurposed, or appropriately recycled with nothing going to landfill.
The lanyards are made from paper but have the appearance and feel of a normal lanyard.
“Paper has been used before but the product was always paper like,” said Preseli marketing manager, Robert Bruce. “Our new paper lanyards use pulp from sustainable wood sources that is then made into a flexible textile like material and woven, the result being a true lanyard that can be printed and work like any other.”
The lanyard return bins collected more than 30% of the lanyards issued.
“Our display of re-purposing ideas got lots of attention and was an engaging way to bring up the subject of finding new uses for single use promotional products,” he added.
Preseli used the returns to find bigger scale solutions to repurposing and disposal of used lanyards. They are being used as samples as Preseli works with processors to create a long-term solution.
