“Focusing on sustainability is the right thing to do – not just for our planet and people, but also for our business.”
Chris, Promotion Products
How to have a positive impact
Looking for inspiration on how sustainability improvements can help your business and the planet? Promotion Products, a successful Australian merchandising company, is a great example. Their sustainability efforts have inspired and educated customers, staff and suppliers, creating a ripple effect along the supply chain. Green Street is proud to have helped them along the way!
Sustainability takes vision and effort, but it’s worth it
Promotion Products has been focusing on sustainability for over 17 years. Way back in 2007, the company launched a range of eco-friendly, ethically sourced products, and has been building and refining the range since then (see Eco Products here).
Impressively, they were one of the first in the merchandising industry to achieve ISO:14001 (environmental management) accreditation. This was on top of their ISO:9001 quality management credentials. After measuring their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in 2024, Promotion Products was certified as a carbon-neutral business.
All this is hard work, but it pays off in terms of process efficiencies, cost savings, staff/customer satisfaction and environmental or social benefits.
Watch the video story…
Credits: Video researched and produced by Sebastian Bustamante
In this 3-minute video filmed in 2024, Promotion Products’ Sustainability Manager, Chris, and Green Street’s Howard Nielsen discussed the company’s sustainability journey.
Chris mentioned how Green Street resources such as the Sustainability Roadmap helped Promotion Products move forward. He also discussed some of the sustainability measures Promotion Products have taken over the years, assisted by Green Street consultancy and tools.
Promotion Products’ sustainability initiatives
Actions taken to improve sustainability have varied from big steps like attaining ISO accreditation and carbon-neutral certification to simpler actions like replacing light bulbs. Here’s a summary:
- Launching a dedicated range of eco-friendly branded merchandise
- Achieving ISO 14001 environmental management accreditation
- Auditing the supply chain for environmental management and modern slavery
- Reducing plastic packaging
- Composting waste
- Installing energy-efficient light bulbs
- Measuring, tracking and reporting progress
- Giving back to the community
- Auditing carbon emissions with the services of Green Street partner NetNada and offsetting emissions. Promotion Products is now a carbon-neutral certified business!
“Green Street resources like the Sustainability Roadmap have been a really helpful tool for us to identify where we can make change within our business and then what steps to take.”
Chris, Promotion Products
Green Street resources used by Promotion Products
- Sustainability Roadmap to assess priorities and plan actions
- Natural Step guidelines to frame discussions and decisions
- Clues on Conversations to initiate consultation processes
- Green Street Café to discuss sustainability opportunities with staff and other stakeholders
- Carbon Management System to measure and offset emissions
- Sustainability Consultancy for guidance through the process.
It’s an ongoing process…
Sustainability is a journey, and the Promotion Products team know there is a long way to go. However, we think they are having an excellent go at being sustainable! For an industry that produces and sells millions of products, reducing negative impacts and increasing positive impacts makes a big difference. As Howard from Green Street says, “Benefits for the business equate to benefits for the planet”.
To read about the company’s approach, see their website: Sustainability at Promotion Products. Hint: if you are a Green Street member, you may be eligible for a discount on their products (see member offers). Below is a taster of some of their branded Eco Products, ranging from notebooks and cutlery to bio planter pots and bamboo flash drives…
Eco Notebooks with Pens
Branded Natura Cutlery Sets
Branded Biopots
Bamboo Card Flash Drives 8GB Branded
“We teamed up with NetNada to thoroughly measure our carbon emissions. With these insights, we made a tangible impact by purchasing carbon credits to support Australasian nature projects, offsetting our footprint. Now our branded merchandise is carbon offset at no cost to customers.”
Doug, Promotion Products
How can others follow their lead?
For small to medium businesses keen to build a sustainable future, it can be hard to know where to start. Well, the best place and time to start is here and now! Green Street can help you kick things off and support you along the way.
First, review your business impact and identify where changes will make a difference. Green Street tools like the 10 Steps Towards Sustainability and the more detailed Sustainability Roadmap can guide you through the process.
You’ll be supported by templates for sustainability planning and guidance on facilitating cafe-style consultations with stakeholders. You can also find out how to embed sustainability into role descriptions so it becomes second nature. See the resource finder for a guide to what’s available.
“As a small business trying to juggle a lot of different things it can be really hard to know where to start. It may be overwhelming but you certainly don’t have to do everything overnight. Green Street is a great place to start.”
Chris, Promotion Products
Credits
Green Street would like to thank our student intern Sebastian Bustamante for his excellent work planning, producing and editing the video. In addition, we are proud to have worked with Promotion Products and appreciate the generous participation of Doug, Chris and the team. The product/team images, and the original video footage of the Promotion Products team and merchandising products, are copyright of Promotion Products.
It’s been a great pleasure to see Promotion Products extend their range of sustainably produced products and to see the commitment of their entire staff as they support their clients to ‘have a go at being sustainable.’ Cheers to Doug and Chris and the PP crew. Howard