The Circularity Solution OUR INDUSTRY HAS ALWAYS been good at turning pens, totes, drinkware and apparel into tangible and exciting brand stories. But lately, the story hasn’t been as fun to tell. Tariffs are driving up costs, freight prices swing more than a bad DJ set, and clients – spooked by the economy – are trimming budgets. And if you’ve got a warehouse full of slow-moving stock, well, congratulations: You’re now the proud curator of a very niche, very expensive museum. The instinct in times like these is often to hunker down, cut costs, clear space and wait it out. But there’s another path that not only helps navigate these pressures but can actually turn them into opportunities: circularity. Circularity isn’t just a sustainability talking point, it’s a business strategy. It’s about keeping products, materials and resources in play for as long as possible, creating loops that capture more value from what you already have instead of constantly buying new. For promo companies, it can mean reducing tariff exposure, unlocking new revenue streams and building resilience in a turbulent market. Good As New In the traditional linear model, leftover products from an order, outdated designs and returned products often end up written off or discarded. Circular thinking flips that script. Every box of product in your warehouse is potential raw material. Overrun drinkware from a canceled order could be reprinted with a fresh design and sold at a discount. Outdated apparel could be overprinted, embroidered or patched with new branding. There are whole merch lines for popular music artists using this strategy and proving to be very popular with concertgoers. Even products with minor defects can be refurbished, packaged creatively and moved into a clearance or “circular special” line. The key is recognizing that this inventory is already paid for. You’re simply finding a second life for it instead of paying tariffs and freight on brand-new goods. In other words: Stop letting your money collect dust in the warehouse when it could be out there collecting actual money. This is promo’s secret weapon against tariffs and tough markets. By Elizabeth Wimbush, CAS 22 • OCTOBER 2025 • PPAI Voices | Responsibility Sansoen Saengsakaora / Shutterstock.com
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