There’s a helpful way for businesses and organizations to look at the idea of progress. A clear-eyed way that briefly removes politicalization, polarization, opinions or, as strange it sounds, even facts: It’s coming. That’s the thing about progress. It just tends to keep happening, one way or another. As far sustainability’s place in promo – as well as its place in the world – that certainly seems to be the case over the past decade and more. Things have changed. What was once a nonfactor transitioned to an afterthought before evolving into a buzzword and, eventually, sustainability became a pillar of how the branded merchandise industry operates, informing decisions at nearly every level. In line with progress, this industry tends to come around toward synchronicity. What’s good for all is often embraced over time. “Our industry has come a long way,” says Kathy Cheng, president at Redwood Classics Apparel. “We need to continue to operate in the space of ‘we’ as opposed to ‘me,’ because if all of your decisions are based on what’s best for me and my bottom line, then you’re not thinking about the community.” Lately, the “we” of it all has been making an impact from end user to CEO. You have industry conferences dedicated to sustainability. You have industry companies with C-suite positions devoted to sustainable operations. These days, you might see an end user at an event offering a polite “no thank you” to a promo item that they don’t envision passing the test of time. For the same reason, you’ll hear a distributor asking suppliers for products made with eco-friendly materials or suppliers providing full transparency concerning the origins of each aspect of their product. Where you barely heard a whisper about sustainability in promo 15 years ago, the demand is now so high that you have firms falling into the trap of embellishing their eco-friendly claims to attract sales. There’s even a term for it: greenwashing. Data can back all of this up. • According to the databases of SAGE, PPAI’s technology partner, distributor searches for the term “eco-friendly” grew by 390% from 2017-2024. Paul Zafarana, MAS, co-founder of Michigan-based distributor Pica Marketing Group, makes a maritime analogy for how promo will turn the corner with sustainability. “As far as the industry goes, you’re moving something the size of a cruise ship,” Zafarana says. “It takes little movements to affect the course of direction, a whole crew working hard behind the scenes to make it happen. It takes a lot to move that big ship. “Once it gets going in that direction, it’ll work out great with tons of momentum. But it takes a Distributor searches for the term “eco-friendly” grew by 390% from 2017-2024 Source: SAGE 390% Paul Zafarana Kathy Cheng PPAI • OCTOBER 2025 • 47 Promo's Sustainability Journey | Must Read
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