The Knowledge Network Behind responsible businesses stand experts willing to lend a hand for the greater good. By Elizabeth Wimbush, CAS A MISCONCEPTION about sustainability and compliance is that successful companies have all the answers. They don’t. The companies making the most progress are often the ones asking the best questions – and knowing where to find trusted expertise when new challenges emerge. This matters now more than ever. Product safety requirements continue to evolve, especially at a state level. Environmental regulations are becoming more complex (here’s looking at you, Europe!). Customer expectations around responsible sourcing, transparency and circularity continue to rise. At the same time, businesses are expected to move quickly and confidently through it all. No individual, and frankly no single company, can be an expert in every corner of sustainability and compliance. That’s why responsible business has become a team sport. Over the past several years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside an incredible network of professionals who generously share their expertise with the branded merch industry. Many of the experts members hear from at PPAI’s annual Responsibility Summit, who volunteer their time to participate in Product Responsibility Action Group regulatory roundups, or who helped shape the framework behind PPAI’s Product Safety Aware education program are also PPAI business service members. The same is true of PPAI’s Sustainability Action Group, whose members regularly provide strategic direction, challenge assumptions, review new resources and help ensure that PPAI’s sustainability work reflects the practical realities our members face every day. Patricia C. Adams / Shutterstock.com 12 • AUGUST 2026 • Voices | Responsibility
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzU4OQ==