Elizabeth Wimbush, director of sustainability and responsibility at PPAI, is delighted by these results, which she suspects “will only increase as we see of a lot of plastic reduction plans come to fruition.” Companies who responded “Other” reported that they either have a sustainable procurement policy that includes packaging, use very little packaging for their products or are in the process of incorporating recycled materials into their soft goods lines. TABLE 7: Roughly what percentage of the products you sold in 2023 were marketed as sustainable? PPAI 100 Suppliers: 26% Suppliers $100M+: 28% Suppliers $50M-$100M: 10% Suppliers $25M-$50M: 20% Suppliers $5M-$25M: 35% Suppliers Under $5M: 70% Harris finds these results “somewhat puzzling” when compared to the previous data set. “The data suggests that the commitment to sustainable packaging is much higher than the commitment to sustainable products,” Harris says. Mazze was surprised that the suppliers under $5 million have the highest percentage in these results. “They have the lowest number of implemented initiatives, but have the highest sustainable product marketing,” Mazze says. “This worries me as they’re likely making claims that may or may not be accurate if they’re not educated on sustainability.” TABLE 8: Does your company have a carbon reduction plan that includes energy reduction, renewable energy efforts or contributes to renewable energy streams through your utility provider or RECS? Yes No Other PPAI 100 Suppliers: 56% 33% 10% Suppliers $100M+: 71% 29% 0% Suppliers $50M-$100M: 63% 38% 0% Suppliers $25M-$50M: 33% 33% 33% Suppliers $5M-$25M: 33% 33% 33% Suppliers Under $5M: 58% 42% 0% Must Read | The State of Responsibility 2024 Mazze is again surprised as she sees “a lot of suppliers buying carbon offsets rather than actual reduction strategies.” Companies who responded “Other” reported that they’re either in the process of establishing a carbon reduction plan or currently ship carbon neutral though UPS and FedEx. TABLE 9: Does your company participate in any established give-back or charitable initiatives? Yes No PPAI 100 Suppliers: 94% 6% Suppliers $100M+: 93% 7% Suppliers $50M-$100M: 93% 7% Suppliers $25M-$50M: 83% 17% Suppliers $5M-$25M: 100% 0% Suppliers Under $5M: 85% 15% As the industry collectively seeks to make the world a better place, it’s reassuring that more than three quarters of suppliers of all sizes participate in established give-back or charitable initiatives. TABLE 10: Does your company monitor and actively minimize water use at any facility or office? Yes No Other PPAI 100 Suppliers: 69% 25% 6% Suppliers $100M+: 79% 21% 0% Suppliers $50M-$100M: 69% 31% 0% Suppliers $25M-$50M: 83% 0% 17% Suppliers $5M-$25M: 33% 44% 22% Suppliers Under $5M: 58% 33% 8% “Water reduction strategies are tough,” Mazze says. “I’m happily surprised to see these numbers on the higher end.” 74 • SEPTEMBER 2024 • PPAI
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