In my personal quest to live more environmentally friendly, I’ve tried to bring more consciousness and research into what I eat, buy and wear. You can find me at thrift stores on the weekend looking through dense racks of t-shirts, often seeing promotional or company shirts with lackluster designs. Sometimes my friends will get excited about a special “find” at the thrift store, and show me a piece of promotional or company apparel; but these pieces look much different than the scratchy elementary school fun run shirts overpopulating most of the store.

A soft shirt with a hem tag, a bright colored unisex long sleeve with a lively illustration, a thick windbreaker with embroidery. “Finds” like these are few and far between at the thrift store for good reason: people don’t want to let them go. On top of pieces like this being much more effective marketing tools, they are key to how your company can make positive changes for the environment!

Historically, the promotional marketing industry works with a lot of negative-impact materials: garments, plastics, and toxic inks.

According to Newsweek, 84 percent of all unwanted clothes end up in landfills.
713 gallons of water is used in making 1 cotton shirt.

With the amount of water and energy that goes into making these garments, it is our responsibility to drive decisions that do not mindlessly contribute to this waste. At ScreenBroidery, we’re taking steps to reduce our own waste, and collaborating with our clients to make choices that better the world.

Where We’re At, Where We’re Going

We are happy about the small personal progress we’re making, including using reusable drinking vessels in the office and a new recycling bin! But as a company, the processes we’ve employed can help reduce our waste significantly. By using analytics from our eCommerce stores, we can order a precise amount of inventory that accurately reflects demand, which means less over-ordering. And when there is an excess of apparel, we donate to those in need whenever possible.

2022 is a big year for us to more consciously and thoroughly record our waste so that we can take leaps towards sustainability in 2023.

Goals to Kickstart Your Go-Green Program:

Reducing excess/discarded inventory
Increasing use of sustainable garments and products
Reuse plastic bags that come with products
Box reuse program

Better (The World) Together

So how can we work together to achieve environmental sustainability?

There are a plethora of sustainably made garments and products available we can source for your project. See some of our favorites below!
Consider what products your audience would want and need to diversify what they receive, preventing repeat product overload.
When you select great products and pair them with great design and marketing, you have a recipe for beloved and long lasting products, which in turn reduces waste.
Sourcing locally-made products reduces shipping emissions and stimulates the local economy.

It is so possible and necessary for us to move forward together, conscious of what we consume and produce. The alternative is much easier, and is what most of us have been doing our entire lives. But when our world’s land, animals and people are depending on this collaborative effort, it is an honor and duty to try to heal in the face of so much hurt. All of us no matter our industry, lifestyle or history have work to do, which we should not be ashamed or afraid of. This, like most things, is a team effort, and we are all on Team Earth.

I can’t wait for you to join us at ScreenBroidery in our mission to #BetterTheWorld.

10 Eco-Friendly Gifts to Kickstart Your Go-Green Program

Journal x Coffee Eco Gift Set