Whilst giveaways and merchandise are still an ever-popular tool for engaging with your audience at exhibitions and events, we’re all becoming a lot more mindful of the impact that these giveaways can have on the environment if not well considered. Increasingly more and more businesses are keen to stay away from ‘gimmicky’ style giveaways that often end up in landfills in favour of items that are eco-friendly and can have a positive impact on the environment. 

As we are always on the lookout for ideas to make exhibitions kinder to the environment, here’s a run-down of our current favourite eco-friendly merchandise ideas. 

Top things to consider when choosing eco-friendly giveaways  

When considering merchandise for an upcoming exhibition or event, we recommend thinking through the following things to ensure you are keeping the impact on the environment front of mind: 

• Think of the potential lifespan of an idea you might have – how long do you think it will be used? Is it likely to be passed on to other family members? 
• Is it an item you think they need and will come in handy in their day-to-day lives? 
• Is the item of a good enough quality that they will want to use? 

Just because something falls in the eco-friendly bucket, like tote bags and bottles, if the quality isn’t good enough these may well be relegated to the bin. Many companies now give out these types of items and whilst they are useful, there will come a point when someone might just have too many of them. If you choose to follow this route, make sure it’s the ones they prefer to use over others. 

Will the recipient want that item with your branding on it? Think carefully about which items you’re branding. Some things lend themselves to being nicely branded by your company but other items might feel a little strange branded.  In cases like these think about discreet ways you can do this, whether that’s by using smaller logos, branded linings or placing the item inside branded packaging instead. 

Sow and grow kit 

Plants as giveaways are a really popular choice in general, especially those that can be branded and popped on the recipient’s work desk as a constant reminder of your company. However, if you’re worried about how they might travel – especially if you’re planning an exhibition or event abroad – then these sow and grow kits are an ideal giveaway to show your green credentials. Filled with seeds and soil coins, they can be easily grown out of their pouches with a variety of seed options including cottage garden mix, mixed herbs, sunflower or even a Christmas tree if you’re after something a little more festive! 

Eco-friendly packaged sweets 

Sweets as a giveaway are always going to be well received, however, a lot of sweets often come in single-use packaging. Therefore if you’re keen to follow the sweet route, look out for ones that come in recycled or even compostable packaging. The packaging for these sweets from Arcadia will compost down in under 12 weeks! 

Eco-friendly cutlery 

With many food outlets such as Waitrose doing away with single-use cutlery in their stores, people are increasingly needing to keep their own set of cutlery on hand. That’s what makes this giveaway such an ideal option, as it’s something that many people won’t have but actually do really need. If your brand isn’t food-related, consider tying this travel cutlery in with something edible so that it makes logical sense. 

Seeded paper bags 

Branded bags are a great way to get your company’s name out there, as exhibition attendees make their way around the rest of the event and their way home after. However, they can obviously have a negative impact on the environment, which is why so many brands turn to recycled or recyclable bags instead. Why not take it one step further and use seeded paper bags that can be planted once you’re finished with them? As the bag degrades, the seeds germinate and shortly after flowers will grow! 

Seed sticks 

With a large surface area giving you plenty of branding opportunity, these seed sticks are a classic and reasonably priced eco-friendly option, with a variety of different seed options available so you can tailor the choice of plant more to your company or a particular campaign. 

Branded beeswax wraps 

Depending on if it suits your particular industry, beeswax wraps are another great eco-friendly option for a giveaway. As a large surface that can be fully branded, these will likely be used on a regular basis by the recipient, when they wrap up excess food or take their sandwich in for lunch. It’s definitely a good talking point and if branded thoughtfully, could really win your company some green brownie points! 

Glass and bamboo tea infuser 

With many other companies already offering reusable coffee cups, why not try something a little different like this glass and bamboo tea infuser? Not only does it look and feel premium, it will help you stand out more from the crowd! 

Solar-powered charger 

Appeal to your more outdoorsy customers with this clever solar-powered portable charger, perfect for the summertime and festival season too. 

Jute and twill tote bags 

As more companies are giving away reusable canvas bags, we can all be guilty of building up a backlog that we don’t actually use. With this in mind, if you would like to give out a tote bag ensure yours is the one they reach for time and time again by buying higher quality, modern versions. If cost is an issue, we recommend buying fewer, better tote bags – like this one – and really taking time to consider who you’re giving them to and whether you really feel they will turn into a customer modern twill jute shopper tote for an eco-friendly giveaway 

Glass water bottle with wooden lid 

Choose a bottle that reflects your brand personality in a modern and cool way, whilst also ensuring it is environmentally friendly. This glass version with a wooden lid is a particular favourite of ours. 

Seedballs matchboxes 

Having already used these as promotional giveaways ourselves, this lovely company create small matchboxes that hold ‘seed balls containing your choice of wildflower seeds. You simply scatter them onto bare soil or compost and with rain and watering, they grow into beautiful flowers that attract and protect bees and butterflies. The packaging can also be fully branded with a design of your choice. 

Sprout pencil 

An innovative idea that still offers lots of space for branding and getting your company’s message across, Sprout pencils can be used for writing and drawing and then when you’re finished, you can plant them into the ground or a nearby plant pot and let them grow. With seed options ranging from basil and coriander to daisies and forget me nots, there’s lots of different options to suit your brand. 

Our partner GES is the first and only, global full-service events provider to earn both APEX/ASTM Level 2 Certification (US) and ISO 20121 (UK).