EcoSwag Blog

Creative Ecoswag Made from E-Waste

I came across some interesting items today while researching new products to add to www.ecoswag.com. One of our suppliers manufactures promotional products made of plastic recycled from e-waste (discarded electronics).

While innovation in the world of technology has provided us with some pretty amazing products, the rapid pace of technological change has led to serious environmental impacts.

 As computers, monitors, printers and other devices become obsolete, many people simply throw them away. It is estimated that the average cell phone user now upgrades phones every 18 months, and most businesses and individuals upgrade their computers every 3-5 years.  Greenpeace estimates that 20 to 50 million tons of electronics waste (often called e-waste) is discarded globally every year. I see anything we can do to creatively re-purpose and re-use this discarded technology as positive for the planet!

So recycling this waste and turning it into handy little giveaways seems like a step in the right direction. E-waste is the largest component to the municipal waste stream and up until recently has been a mostly untapped resource for manufacturing companies. It just goes to show you how one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure.

This Recycled Piggy Bank is a great example of how our industry can use old electronics and turn them into something useful. This cute little guy is made in the USA from recycled e-waste plastic (harvested from discarded devices like printers, computers & remotes). It is roughly 5 ½” W x 3 ½” H, and features a 1 color custom logo on its side. It makes a great eco-friendly swag idea for banks or other companies that promote the concept of savings.

Our new Recycled Custom Mug (shown below) is another swag item made from recycled e-waste plastic we recently added to our site. The outer shell is recycled e-waste plastic, with a food-grade inner liner that keeps beverages hot. The neutral silver tone looks great with almost any color logo imprint, making this a versatile and eco-responsible swag choice for a wide range of uses.

I will soon add more e-waste recycled plastic items to the site, such as the license plate frame, ruler and photo frame shown below - but these items are available now, just call for more details & pricing (877-432-6792 toll-free).

 


 

I also wanted to inform you about recycling YOUR e-waste. The Consumer Electronics Association, which represents electronics manufacturers, encourages people to recycle their e-waste, and has set up a handy Website to make the process simple. Log on to mygreenelectronics.org, where you can search for local recycling drop-off points by zip code and product category. You'll also find tips and info on electronics recycling, and a cool energy calculator that will show you how much juice each product uses.

Thanks for reading and please help spread the word about Ecoswag’s collection of green promotional products!

We Vote for Green: Eco-Friendly Campaign Lawn Signs

Now that health care reform is for the most part a done deal, our nation's political attention will soon turn to the Fall elections. And no matter what your political views are, one thing is for sure... every campaign needs yard signs!

With so many elections around the country, that's a lot of signs. Most of them end up in landfills after the contest is over, creating tons and tons of trash that will take decades to decompose completely. As I researched the subject of green political campaigns for this post, I noticed several stories online about stricter environmental standards being set for earth-friendly election signage in countries like Turkey and India. Given the current political climate in the US, I wouldn't be surprised to see this issue coming up more often here in the US as well...and Ecoswag can be part of the solution.

 We offer simple-to-install, inexpensive political lawn signs made from recyclable, durable plastic material on a sturdy, reusable metal frame like the one shown here. The sign portion is constructed much like a plastic bag - it's made of 100% recyclable #4 LDPE poly plastic with heat-sealed edges and is designed to easily slip on & off the metal frame.

Even though they're recyclable plastic, these campaign yard signs are durable and made to stand up to the weather. They are specially designed with an opaque inner lining to keep the 2nd side imprint from showing through, even in bright sunlight. Once the election is over, simply pull the signs off the frames and put them in with your other plastic recycling. The metal frames can be collected and kept for future campaigns (or sold as scrap metal). Reusing the frames can save a significant amount on signage for future campaigns, as the plastic sign "bags" are much less expensive to buy without frames (and much cheaper to ship too, both money-wise and carbon-footprint-wise).

Available in quantities of 1,000 & up, these recyclable campaign lawn signs cost about the same as non-recyclable versions. Please help us spread the word about these eco-responsible election signs to anyone you know who is running an earth-friendly political campaign this year!

New Ecoswag: Custom Biodegradable Plastic Bags

While there are all kinds of places you want your logo to show up to promote your brand image, there are definitely places you DON'T want it to show up - especially if your logo happens to be on a plastic bag.

 This is one of those places. Unfortunately, plastic bags are lightweight and easily become caught in trees where they are almost impossible to retrieve. Bags like this are not only an eyesore, they can also be deadly to birds and tree-climbing animals that either try to eat them or become tangled or trapped.

To the right is another place you don't want your logo-printed plastic bag to show up, which is in lakes, streams, rivers or ponds. Even though you may not see them after they sink to the bottom, they're a major cause of pollution in our nation's waterways and can take years or even decades to break down, as well as posing a hazard to creatures who live in the water.

If your company buys custom-printed biodegradable bags that's a step in the right direction. Trouble is, many of the biodegradable plastic bags on the market are designed to degrade at high temperatures in a managed landfill. So what happens if they end up in the tree or the pond instead? They'll act much like a regular plastic bag and take years to break down.

This is why we're excited to add OXO-BIODEGRADABLE custom printed plastic bags to Ecoswag.com. Oxo biodegradable plastic not only biodegrades in a managed landfill, it also breaks down completely in a year or less when it has prolonged exposure to water or UV rays (sunlight). So these bags are essentially an insurance policy against plastic bag pollution. An added bonus is that unlike other biodegradable plastic bags, oxo-biodegradable bags release no methane as they decompose, making them an even better choice for the planet.

We're featuring 3 bag styles on the website to begin with, a big 20"x20" soft loop handle bag and a smaller 11"x15" size, both with eye-popping FULL COLOR custom printing on one side and NO SETUP CHARGE. For the budget-minded, we also have a 9"x12" grab-bag size with a one-color imprint at a bargain price and low minimum order of just 100 bags.

There are many more sizes available, as well as different options such as handle types and 2nd side printing. Just give us a call (1-877-4-ECOSWAG) if you're interested in a size other than what's shown on the website.

If you're considering switching to custom printed biodegradable plastic bags in your earth-friendly company, we'll be more than happy to send out a sample so you can see the quality and durability for yourself. As long as these bags are stored properly they'll last just as long and be just as durable as a traditional plastic bag. These are great advance in eco-friendly custom packaging and personally I hope they become a popular choice for retail stores and those who market at events, tradeshows and conferences.

Thanks for reading & keep coming back for more eco-friendly swag ideas!