ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND, ETHICAL PRODUCTS - February 2010

Andy Stevenson, director for Crazy:Bags comments;

“In 2007 the environment became a marketable concern, with demand for eco-products soaring ever since. Now representing 65% of our sales despite the downturn, the environment remains high on the business and consumer agenda.

“This increased awareness has generated a need for alternative products, with branded eco-bags an effective platform to not only highlight a brands message, but also its commitment to the environment and CSR, limiting the environmental impact of promotional activity; adding value and increasing brand credibility.

“All of our eco-bags have been sourced to meet our strict environmental standards. It depends on the product a client chooses as to how and why it is environmentally sound, but all our eco-bags are 100% reusable.

“A good example is our cotton shopper range. We handpick factories that are both SEDEX members and Fairtrade accredited. This means we know the conditions the bags have been produced in. We know for example, that all employees have access to union representation, with strict working hours, mandatory breaks and monitored, healthy working environments.

“The secure ethical data exchange that SEDEX membership provides allows us to investigate the supply chain as a whole, from the cotton grower to the manufacturer. It gives us full traceability, enabling us to make confident, ethical buying choices.

“This knowledge is not only important to ensure we meet our own ethical standards, but because we can provide our clients with a guarantee that their products have been ethically produced as well as being environmentally sound.

“A promotional bag may say it’s green, but just how eco-friendly is it when you factor in how the materials have been produced, where they’ve come from and how they got to you? It is these questions that our clients ask and it is our responsibility to ensure we answer them fully and legitimately.

“There is no doubt this trend will continue, with ethical, eco-products playing a long standing role in the future of the promotional industry. The only unknown is the extent of this role and how much of the market it will occupy.”

For further information on the UK’s leading importers and stockists of unbranded promotional, paper carrier & eco-bags, please call on 01892 752 154 or visit us at www.crazybags.co.uk.