The State of Responsibility 2023 | Must Read TABLE 4. Roughly what percentage of your company’s product waste is included in a waste diversion program that includes monitoring and reporting? PPAI 100 Suppliers 50% Suppliers $250M+ 59% Suppliers $50M-$250M 49% Suppliers $5M-$50M 43% It’s not surprising that access to investment resources allows promo’s larger companies to create programs for monitoring and reporting product waste, which is vital for ensuring a positive environmental impact. A statistically insignificant portion of suppliers under $5 million reported answers to this question. TABLE 5. Roughly what percentage of your company’s packaging is recyclable, reusable, etc.? PPAI 100 Suppliers 66% Suppliers $250M+ 58% Suppliers $50M-$250M 70% Suppliers $5M-$50M 67% Suppliers Under $5M 63% Sustainable packaging is beneficial, safe and healthy for communities throughout its lifecycle, which is why the majority of suppliers have transitioned to using packaging that consists of recyclable and reusable materials. TABLE 6. Roughly what percentage of the products you sold in 2022 were marketed as sustainable? PPAI 100 Suppliers 24% Suppliers $250M+ 24% Suppliers $50M-$250M 25% Suppliers $5M-$50M 35% Suppliers Under $5M 48% Silvia Pallaro, country manager for North America at New York City-based Atlantis Headwear, argues that it’s still not common to find companies in the U.S. promo industry that are fully committed to sustainability. The industry average “appears to be around 25%-28% here, which I believe isn’t totally representative and is slightly too high,” Pallaro says. She also notes that it’s interesting to see smaller suppliers with a seemingly higher percentage of their offering marketed on sustainability grounds. “While the market is still far from being very sensitive to sustainability, this data demonstrates that sustainability is likely a focus of newer and younger companies and is likely to grow more and more in the future.” TABLE 7. Has your company invested in solar power or another form of reusable energy at your facilities? Yes No PPAI 100 Suppliers 23% 77% Suppliers $250M+ 22% 78% Suppliers $50M-$250M 22% 78% Suppliers $5M-$50M 22% 78% Suppliers Under $5M 25% 75% Based on the survey results, there’s plenty of room for improvement when it comes to suppliers investing in reusable energy at their facilities. After all, the investment is certainly worth it. For example, solar power is a renewable and infinite source of energy that’s an easy and efficient way to offset carbon emissions. Furthermore, its processes don’t emit pollutants, so it doesn’t contribute to climate change the way burning fossil fuels does. TABLE 8. Does your company have an established give-back program donating any percentage of revenue to a charitable cause? Yes No PPAI 100 Suppliers 73% 28% Suppliers $250M+ 80% 20% Suppliers $50M-$250M 72% 28% Suppliers $5M-$50M 61% 39% Suppliers Under $5M 50% 50% Silvia Pallaro PPAI • NOVEMBER 2023 • 47
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