My Green Marketing Materials Mission
I create visuals for businesses to help market themselves whilst building a consistent brand, and I try to do it in the most environmentally friendly way. That’s why my strapline is ‘Graphic Design that doesn’t cost the earth’.
Obviously, my tiny business isn’t going to save the planet, but protecting the environment is important to me and I don’t want to contribute to its demise either. So, the best I can do is do my best and use responsibly sourced materials wherever possible.
Most printed paper items – business cards, leaflets, posters and brochures – can be sourced fairly easily, by checking the paper is FSC certified (comes from managed forests) and by avoiding laminates.
However, some other marketing materials are proving more difficult.
Pull-up banners are something I’m looking into.
I once bought a bamboo banner on the understanding that it was a greener alternative. It looks very nice and appears to reflect my brand values, but it is in fact no more recyclable than a standard aluminium one. Yes, the case is wood but the mechanism inside is the same. And on both models, the biggest problem is the fabric part – which isn’t fabric, it’s plastic or polyester. And even if you wanted to use fabric, it would have to be coated in polyester to be able to print on it.
However, I have made some progress on this topic which I will share in another post but the point is, I can’t be the only person asking these questions so why is it so difficult to find anything out, and why is there so much greenwashing to wade through?
I’d love to cut through all that.
I’ve got plenty of questions lined up, like: What is the greenest display banner (for starters)? What is a good green giveaway? How much of a recycled pen is actually recycled? Can my laminated business cards be recycled?
So, I’m on a mission to find some answers and to share my findings with others looking for Green Marketing Materials.
I don’t know if I can do it AND have time to design and build great brands (which is what I love), but I am going to try.
If you would like to come with me on this journey, follow me on the socials below and I will keep you updated on my findings. Equally, if you have any reliable sources, contacts, suggestions for groups or people I should follow, or know anybody who already has the answers, please link me up or drop me an email.
Thank you. Meanwhile, I am off to investigate ‘Antibacterial Laminate’…
