Product Media Magazine - May & June 2023

It’s apackedissue of Product Media this month reflectingthe activities of theBPMA of late,takingthe case formerchandise to a wideraudience,and reflectingthe sector to others

Therecentinvolvementinthe Debating Groupatthe Houseof Commonswas particularly noteworthy as it marked thereturntoface-toface activity forthisesteemedgroup.

TheBPMAheaded up ateamintent on provingwhatweall know,that merchandiseforges themostemotional andlong-termrelationship with its audience. As always at theseevents, the

levelofdebatewas high butafter much to andfro,the BPMA pointofview triumphed

This issuealsoincludes areporton theindustry’sfirstevent in support of InternationalWomen’s Day. In this respect, promotional merchandisehas always seemed to be amorediverse sector than others with many senior womenentrepreneurs andleaders.We can’tbecomplacent aboutthisand change still needstocomebut this event proved aworthy platform fordiscussing theissuessurroundingthe diversity debate.Get it in your diaryfor next year

Themajorityofthisissue is given over to one of thebiggest topicsfacing us all– sustainability.The question “whatdid youdo?”isone that we will

allhave to answer in future,and the report detailsthatwhenitcomes to our industry,wecan respond morethan youmight think”

Merchandisecompanieshavebeen wrestling with thisfor anumberof yearsnow andthatpondering has turned into action on many fronts, includingsourcing,energyuse,process reengineering,packaging selection, productdesign,incentivisation,and more.The battle to be moresustainable will featureathousand points of light, andweall have aroletoplay. Again, there’snotimefor complacency,and thankfully there’snosignofthe doersof merchandiserestingontheir laurels.

CareyTrevill BPMA CEO

Kingly partners with social enterprises

Promotional textiles companyKingly has partnered withtwo social enterprises involvedinsupported employment, labour rehabilitation and theintegration of people withmentalorphysical challenges.

The companyhas been workingwith Low CarbFactoryand Labour Therapy Ltdwhichcreatearange of products for chain stores or forhospitals and other facilities.

After sitevisitstothe organisations, Kingly decided to providebothenterprises withthe opportunitytohelpwithfolding its FSC-certified boxes, whichhelp preserve forests and highlight illegal deforestation as well as protecting goods.

Twoprojects have been carriedout with4,500 boxes folded and Kingly is continuing thecollaboration.

Bothorganisations wanted to communicatethatsocial enterprises arenot begging forsponsorships or donations but want to partner withbusinesses and help them with developing new products or services.

By investing in local production

companies will stop importing cheap products withbad quality, creating amore sustainable supply chain.

B-Loony becomes an employee owned trust

Promotional balloon companyB-Loonyhas givenemployees astake in thecompany through an employeeownership trust (EOT).

The EOTwas launched on 10 February and allows employees asay in itsdirection and an opportunitytoshare in itsprofits.

Directors saythe decision safeguards theculture and values of thebusiness forthe benefit of loyaland long-serving employees.

The transition marks anew chapter in thecompany’s45-year historyand it is hoped will bring benefits forcustomers, employees, and thelocal communityin Chesham providingjobsand contributing to thelocal economy.

In astatement on behalf of directors Andy MacInnes, MikeCussell and James Clephan, managing director MacInnes said: “Becoming an employeeownership trust is anatural next step forB-Loony. Our

employees have been thebackbone of the companyfor 45 years, manyofthem long serving, and we believethat giving them a stakeinthe business will only strengthen our commitment to excellence.”

The directors said that little will change in theday-to-dayrunning of thebusiness withthe existing senior management team continuing to runthe business and maintaining closerelationships with customers and suppliers.

The directors bought thebusiness in an MBO in 2001 from founder GeoffHartley who is retiring as chairman.

EOTs were introduced in 2014 to encourage employeeownership in the belief that individuals and organisations thrive morewhen employees have astake

Morethan 1,000 businesses have gone down this routewithresearch showing that EOTs improve performance and help with employeeretention.

Beverley celebrates 20 Years at ProAd

Morpeth-based promotional merchandising company

ProAd has congratulated account manager Beverley Scott on 20 years withthe team.

the family-owned firm after

Scott joined thefamily-owned firmafter completing her Business Management and English LiteraturedegreefromKeele Universityin2002.

Although clients and customers can order via thewebsite, Scott’srole allows her to support clients with their plans, campaigns, events, brands and what they wish to achieve, suggesting effective promotional merchandising options.

She said: “Notwo days arethe same, one dayIcan be workingon abig client merger rebrand project withworld-wide distribution and thenextasmall,local jobs fair.I thoroughly enjoyevery project and am passionateabout getting it right. The business owners Carlo and Lorenhaveveryhigh standards and they have taught me howtodeal withchallenges and alwaysput the customer first.”

ProAd celebratedits 40th anniversarythisyear and was founded by Carlo Nardini.

He said: “It is positivitylikeBeverley brings to work everyday that puts my team ahead of anyother.They careand aim to makeour service seamless. ProAdwould not be the companyitistodaywithout our wonderful team.”

The Outdoors Company adds BCorpFinisterre to its portfolio

The Outdoors Companyhas announced a new partnership withCornish brand Finisterre, bringing sustainable corporatepiecestothe B2B market.

Since 2018,Finisterre hasbeenBCorp certified and wasthe firstoutdoor clothing companyinthe UK to achievethis.

The brand’sdesign ethos is to combine functionalityand sustainability, and therange will featuresustainably made waterproof and insulated jackets, sweatshirts and tees

An exampleisthe Nebulas Insulated Jacket containing 100% Repreverecycled insulation, made from ocean-bound plastics, reducing emissions, energy and waterconsumption in comparison to theproduction of virgin polyester

Waterproof jackets, theRainbirdand Stormbirdare made from 100% recycled polyester fabric with aPFC free waterproof coating.

In addition to Finisterre,the Outdoors Companyhas similar partnerships with Berghaus, Columbia, Patagonia, Rab,and The NorthFace.

New management team for Pagani

Pagani Pens has reorganised its management team followed the departureofco-director and chief sales &marketing officer,Eckhard Sohns.

The current co-director Rossana Porotti will be supported in thefuture by Alessio Marotta, who will join the management boardasaco-director while retaining hisexisting role of CFO.

Chief commercial officer,Tom de Kleyn will assume overallresponsibility forsales and marketing of thewriting instruments division, whichincludes theProdir and Pigrabrands. He will remain managing director of theProdir subsidiaryinthe Netherlands. Alongside

Listawood sets sights on European market

Listawood has expanded its European account management team withthe appointment of two new team members.

his duties as director of sales, Florian Seidenbergwill head up Prodir GmbH in Germanytogether withRossana Porotti.

Giorgio Pagani, founder and chairman of theboard of directors of Pagani Pens said thenew management team provided continuity.

“They have aprovenknowledge of the industryand have already demonstrated their strong leadership credentials in thevarious rolestheyhaveheldatthe company. We on theBoard of Directors areconfident that they will continue to guide Pagani Pens on to thenext phase of itsdevelopment in what remainsa very fast-paced environment.”

Liliana Kud (top) joins as aFrenchspeaking account executive andJulia Walkowiak (second top) as aGerman-speaking account executive

top)

The pair will be handling orders and enquiries forcustomers from the Polish manufacturing plant set up to cater foranestablished and growing customer base in Europe.

Listawood CEO Alex Turner,said investment in astrong team and in factories is an important part of the company’sEuropean growth strategy

“Additional investments in team members as well as the implementation of fully automatic colour glazing lines, digital print technology and automatic direct printing machinerycontinues to strengthen our offer,delivering innovative and affordable drinkware products to our distributors worldwide,” he said.

Earthquake aid from Fluid

Fluid Branding’s Futuregroup has swung behind theDisasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC)workinTurkeyand Syria following thedevastating series of earthquakes that hit thecountries.

Fluid staff donated £268.49 internally to assist survivors and thecompanymatchfunded this to double thetotal donation to £536.98

Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed, withmillions of people in need of urgent shelter,food and medical aid.

DEC charities and their local partners are working withlocally-led relief efforts to help survivors.

Money raised went towards keyareas of survivalwithimmediatepriorities including medical treatment, shelter,heaters and winter kits suchasblankets and warm clothes, and food and cleanwater

Fluid’scontribution will provide emergencyshelter for20families, or keep 106people warm

Industryhits the heights in Manchester

Morethan 100members of the promotional merchandise and printwear industryassembled forasocial event at thetop of one of theUK’stallest buildings. Representativesfromtop distributors and suppliers shared an afternoon of good company, food and entertainment at Cloud 23 in theHiltonDeansgate Manchester

Organised by Promotional Showcase, theevent also featured aset from one of theUK’smost in-demand comedians, Britain’s GotTalent finalist SteveRoyle.

Promotional Showcase’s GerryThomas said:“It’sbeenapleasureand aprivilege forustobring together so manyofthe industry’s keyplayers in suchadramatic and memorable setting.”

Standout performance

Neil ShavefromCollins Debden UK pickedupthe best stand awardatthe co-located Big Promotional Trade Show(BPTS) and theBig Wearables Trade ShowinGlasgow recently Collins Debden waschosenfrom among 60 exhibitors and received the Crystal Galleries-sponsored award from showorganiser GerryThomas. Visitors numbers were up by 36% according to theorganiser,with newexhibitorssuchasFruit of the Loom, Russell Europe, Result, Regatta, Neutral, NotJust Clothing, Impression Europe, Headwear UK,Oldeani, and USB2U

Merchandise companies put IWD in the frame

The PenWarehouse and Snap Products markedInternational Women’s Day(IWD) by getting all their amazing women together foraphoto.

Monica Malfa, marketing manager,said: “We’re proud to promotediversity, equity, and inclusivityatThe PenWarehouse and Snap Products, not just todaybut every day.

She added, “our mission is to build a workplace wherewomen thrive.Taking a photoinaid of International Women’s Day

Promotionalmanufacturers getinthe coronation spirit

The Leather Business is offering items whichare blockedwiththe Official Royal Crest, to celebratethe forthcoming Coronation of King Charles.

Leather is aqualityproduct that lends itself to theevent and thecompanycan offer arange of items suitably branded to celebratethisspecial occasion, such as afull hide leather coaster withhighest

standard blind blocking.

Eat My Logo is also offering thechance to celebratethe event on 6May 2023 withanentirerange including coronation themed artwork designed by customers or theEML in-house marketing team

In addition, it has anew,bespoke, crownshaped branded biscuit to kickoff celebrations withthe right tone.

wasabeautiful wayofcelebrating women in our team and around theworld.”

The BPMA held its first IWD event this year.Read thereport on page 10

The IWD event rounded up aspringtime of activityfromPen Warehouseand Snap Products whichhavealso recently supported RedNose Daywithfundraising activities that raised morethan £200

It also hosted theIgniteIncentive Group foranopenday at its Hampshire headquarters.

Your productmedia expert

Selected with care

We select our products and brands with care. Products and brands thatlast, and that people love to use.

Our collection consists of awide selection of quality products, premium brands, fully customisable products, and manymoresustainable options. Take Kaifor instance, our firstcircular jacket made of 100% recyclednylon.

Scan the QR code to learn moreabout the Kaijacket.

LEARNYOURESGs

Thereisanew threeletter acronym in town. Clive Allcott explains what it means

Inmost conversations that Iseem to have at themoment with other suppliers or distributorsthere is a mentionofESG,whichstandsfor Environmental, Social andGovernance. So what is ESG andwhy hasitbecomea major topicina relatively short period of time? Or hasit?

By thelast comment, I’mwondering if maybe we have all been operating in this wayasbusinesses overthe past years, but

operate your work. One that sets

just didn’t brand or pigeonhole it as ESG. So,what is it? In short it would be best described as People, Planet and Profit and what youasabusiness owner or a companydoinall these sectors as you operateyour daily work.One thing that sets it apart from thecredible standards of ISO and theSmetaAudits from Sedex, is that this is more about business cultureortone of howand what youasacompanyor individual stand for.

The Eisfocused around thewhat and how youinteract withthe environment, what initiativesand focus youhaveon sustainability, recycling processes, climate risk,and energy efficiency. This is not just at alocal level but on aglobalfront and how and whyyou work withyour supply chain.

S is foryour social awareness, for those that work withyou or have touch points withyour business suchasthe local communityand worthwhile causes. Whether it be assisted transportation to help getting to work,gardening clubs or maybe costprice canteens or donut Thursdays

they all showthe business cares. It covers topics suchasequal opportunities, inclusion and diversity, working conditions, training, healthand safety, manyofwhichyou probably currently deliver.

Then thereisthe Gingovernance, the profits and howand what theowners or stakeholders do withthem –it’sall about business ethics and shareholder democracy. In all honestyifthe governance of the profits fail then theE and theS will be difficult to administer

In summary, ESGcreates abetter workplace wherethe Planet and thePeople come first.

HappySelling

Clive theclothing and bagguru.

MARKETINGBODIESCALLON SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT TO

THINKAGAIN

The BPMA has issued its response to the Al A cohol Advertising Consultation in Scotland which closed on 9March

InNovember,the Scottish Government opened aconsultation to seek views on whether to place strict restrictions on alcoholadvertising and marketing.

Following theconsultation, the Advertising Association, ISBA and the IPAregistered afinal condemnation and together withadvertising bodies and other media organisations, issued ajoint statement.

Advertising bodies and media organisations have reacted strongly against theScottish Government’sproposals to severely restrict or remove alcohol advertising and marketing in their responses to theScottish Government'sconsultation whichclosed on 9thMarch 2023

The Advertising Association, ISBA and theIPA,whichrepresent their members in Scotland, have takenthe unprecedented step of issuing ajoint public statement, alongside theMarketing SocietyScotland, theBritish Promotional Merchandise Association, theCinema Advertising Association and theUKCinemaAssociation, theScottish Newspaper Society, and Outsmart.

The statement said: “Westand together and publicly reject theScottish Government’sproposals to introduce swingeing alcoholadvertising and marketing bans. Whilst we understand the Government’sdesiretoreduce alcohol consumption harms in Scotland, there is no evidence that advertising bans will achievethat aim. The proposals set out by theScottish Government will fail to address theproblem. Such measures will be harmful to theScottish economy–including local communities –toScotland’sadvertising and creative industries,and to theScottish media including publishers, broadcasters and cinemas, as well as theoutdoor advertising sector.Atthe end of theday, we aretalking about an impact on Scottish businesses, Scottish jobs and Scottish communities fornodiscernible benefit.”

It added: “Wecallfor afundamental re-think of theproposals withafocus on

targeted and practical policies that will facilitatebehaviour change without damaging theScottish economyand theadvertising and creative industries that areimportant to the entrepreneurial Scotland that theScottish Government wants to see.”

The proposals were announced as part of apublic consultation launched latelast year seeking to end what the Scottish government described as thecountry’s“deep,longstanding and troubled relationship with alcohol”

According to Office of National Statistics figures, Scotland and NorthernIreland were theUKcountries with thehighest alcohol-specific deathrates in 2021, with 22.4and 19.3 deaths per 100,000 persons, respectively

In England and Wales therates of alcoholspecific deaths, were 13.9 and15.0deaths per 100,000 persons, respectively

Therewere1,245 alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland in 2021.

Statistics from theScottish HealthSurvey 2021 found that 23% of people in Scotland drink hazardous or harmful levels of alcohol (morethan 14 units per week), with 31%of men and 16%ofwomen reporting this level of consumption.

The consultation sought views on changes to howalcoholisadvertised, with regulations that couldinclude aban on sponsorships forsport and live events, and distilleryand breweryshops also barred from selling branded merchandise to visitors.

However, theidea has met withplenty of controversy,withmanyScots angry and anxious about theeffect suchaban would potentially have on Scotland’simage abroad.

Critics have also pointed to countries, suchasNorway, wheretighter control of alcoholdistribution and promotion have not been accompanied by adrop

in consumption. They suggest that an approach whichleans moretowards education and messages of moderation or abstinence might be morefruitful, especially as statistics showthat moreyoung people arenow teetotal.

The Scottish Government has previously sought to tryand tackle theimpact of alcoholabuse by introducing theUK’sfirst minimum price foralcohol.

From 2018,the minimum price charged foraunit of alcoholwas set at 50p.

Research published in theLancet suggests it has been associated withabout 150 fewerdeathsayear

Researchers from Public HealthScotland (PHS), theUniversityofGlasgowand the UniversityofQueensland, Australia, said therewas a“significant” 13.4%reduction in thenumber of deaths wholly attributable to alcoholconsumption compared with an estimateofthe deaths that would have occurredhad thelegislation not been implemented.

Therewas also a4.1%reduction in hospitalisations forconditions wholly attributable to alcoholconsumption, equivalent to avoiding 411hospitalisations a year on average.

Celebrat ingdiversity

IN THEPROMOTIONAL MERCHANDISEINDUSTRY

This year the BPMA held its inaugural lunch in support of International Women sDay and looked to ‘embrace equity’

International Women’s Day(IWD) has long been celebrated and the promotional products industry joined themovementtoshowits support. This year theBPMAlaunchedits International Women’s DayLunchheld on 8thMarch in London as part of anew series of diversityand inclusion measures for members.

Witha theme of embracing equity, theBPMAset outtoexplorethe routeto equityand helping attending businesses understand theneed to approach the pursuit of equalitybystarting withequitybased principles. The event wasdevised by theBPMA’sdiversity and inclusion group to markthe annual event.

Hosted at 30 Euston Square, members heardfromkeynotespeakers and authors of Belonging and The Glass Wall;Kathryn JacobOBE, CEO of Pearl&Dean, and Sue Unerman, chief transformation officer at EssenceMediacomX. Focusing the conversation on theroleour businesses play in making ourindustries diverse, the conversation lookedatwhateveryonecan

do to createamoreequitable futurefor the industry.

STARTTHE CONVERSATION

Kathryn and Sueentertained witha talk about some of thechallenges they encountered in their owncareers; howthey discoveredwhereefforts could and should

be concentrated and encouraged attendees to drive their ownconversations forward.

Sponsoring theevent and getting behind theideas of equity, Allwag,WCM+A, Willsmer Wagg, Premier Print &Promotions, Simple Sourcing and RedRocko withfurther support from WCM+A who provided each delegatewithabadge witha motivational saying, tote bags from BagCo,scented

Thespeakers

Kathryn JacobOBE

Kathryn is theCEO of cinema advertising company, Pearl&Dean and has extensive media experience across manyareas

As well as her role at Pearl&Dean,Kathryn is ChairofTrustees at one of the UKs leading arts venues, HOME in Manchester.She also sits on the Council and Boardofthe Advertising Association, theDevelopment Board of RADA andlast year became PresidentofSAWA,the globaltrade body forcinema advertising. With interests in diversityand inclusion, she leads theAdvertising Association’s All-In initiative that worksacross theadvertising sector to drivea representative workforce.

Kathryn co-authored thebook The Glass Wall,focused on thecareer development of women, with Sue Unerman.

SueUnerman

SueisChief

Transformation Officer at Essence MediacomX, and an inspirational, results driventhought leader withawiderange of experience of driving growth, value and continuous improvement through times of change and digital transformation. Herexpertise includes solving business challenges through innovation, marketing and media and agile ways of working. Suehas also co-authored Belonging, thekey to transforming and maintaining diversity, inclusion and equalityatwork(2022), and Tell the Truth,whichexplains howhonesty is your most powerful marketing tool Sueisafellowofthe IPAand has a regular blog for Campaign

candles from Bio Laboratories, pens from Senator,and T-shirts from Mantis World.

At thelunch, BPMA CEO Carey Trevill also announced members would have an opportunitytotakepart in thecreative industries’All In Census to help providea better pictureofthe diverse natureofthe industryand its social mobility. Recalling her opening address to members, Trevill explained to PM whypushing thediversity agenda wassoimportant.

“Inviting our speakers to this event, they bothasked me about themakeupofthe industryand howweempowerthe female contingent of our industry. Ireally couldn’t tell them much,” she said. “Understanding we have very little information in reality

aside of an anecdotal view,itwas important to ensurenot only do we embrace more diversity-led events and discussions, but we also need to knowmore. And not just thesplit of male/female but also howwe view theindustry. Forexample; what we aredoing forolder talent in theindustry. The All In census will also help us compare to others in creative sectors in termsof progress.”

CHANGEATALL LEVELS

Withinsights from member panels, the theme of International Women’s Dayin 2023 was#EmbraceEquity, focusing on theequityweall expect is not anice-tohave,it’samust-have to ensurewecreate afair and equal world. The first panel which included newly announced BoardDirector Jules Adam (WCM&A), ColetteJeanes (Prominate), ClaireHutchinson (Senator) and Melissa Chevin (Globefish Consulting) coveredawide range of topics from how theindustryneeds to address itself on the subject of diversitytohow we recognise and nurturetalent. Delegatesalso heard from BPMA President Angela Wagstaff BoardDirectors HelenBrennan and Melissa

Chevin on their views on diversityinthe industrycovering education, reasons to have female voices on theBoard and why change needs to happen at everylevel. While theBPMAwas creating an inclusive event, as one guest commented, “It’snot thewomen we need to educatewhenit comes to International Women’s Day, it’sthe men.”

Agreeing wholeheartedly,speaker Kathryn Jacobencouraged moremen to take part in theseevents and join thepanels when the big challenges arebeing discussed. BPMA Chair HaydnWilletts and newly appointed Vice Chair Clive Allcott and BoardDirector RichardSullivanalso attended theevent along withseveral male business leaders, all focused on supporting theconversation for their colleagues.

PM would liketogivea huge shout to theBPMA’sgroup behind theevent; Jules Adam, Carrie Stokes, ColetteJeanes, Claire Hutchinson, and Melissa Chevin. Hailing thesuccessful event and based on demand to repeat theexperience, theBPMAisnow planning its 2024 International Women’s Dayand is looking forwardtosharing theresults of theAll In Census later this summer

Where next for SUSTAINABILITY?

The promotional merchandise industryisembracing sustainability, changing theway it worksand the work it makes.

This is whythe BPMA took thestepof launching theStepForward Pledge at this year’s Merchandise WorldshowinCoventry.

The gathering of theindustryhas long been aplace forthe sector to network and debate, and to showthe worldits changing nature. In recent years, this hasincreasingly been about demonstrating themove from thoughtless giveaway culturetoamore considered and considerateapproach to howand what merchandise is used, and thetype of products that areonoffer

Eco WorldatMerchandise Worldhas become aplatformfor thegrowingnumber of more sustainable options forend users. This year,evenmoreexhibitorsfocused on environmentally friendly products, and this lookstobeanongoing trend.

Research by Accenturehas shownthat consumer concernabout sustainabilityis nowfirmlyembedded and they take adim view of brands that have alax approach to their stewardship of theearthand its resources.

Moreconsumers (64%) areconcerned about theenvironment than they areabout their ownfinancialsituation (54%), their health(40%),orthe health of others (47%).

The study lookedatshopping habits and sustainabilityafter thepandemic, and found that compared to two years ago,almost a

thirdweremorelikely to shop in line with their personal values and ethics.

Another survey, by Deloittefound that as consumers have takenincreasing steps to be moresustainable in their ownlives,they have also become moresocially conscious when purchasing clothing and footwear forexample, reducing thenumber of new items they buy,mending clothes, buying second hand, and choosing brands based on their sustainabilityand ethical practices.

Increasing consumer interest in sustainabilityisalso being reflected in purchases of everyday household items, withconsumers morelikely to avoid singleuse plastic and to choose brands that have environmentally sustainable and more ethical practices and values.

According to a2022GlobalSustainability Survey,56% of UK consumers rank sustainabilityasatop five value driver.

WHERE NEXT?

Manymerchandise professionals will be awareofthese shifting sands, and some companies arealready taking laudable steps to be moresustainable. However, the journey is long and evolving, and some businesses areinthe early stages of change

This is whythe BPMA has launched its StepForward Pledge. Whether youare just starting your journey,oryou have been working on your sustainabilityfor awhile, members can register and take thefirst step

forwardand support thePledge.

Environmental, Social andGovernance (ESG) targetsare crucialindelivering longterm benefits and business growth and theBPMAStepForward Pledge supports members in managing its risks and opportunities, embedding sustainability within their products, operations and in their communities.

As part of theprocess Product Media asked BPMA members what they aredoing to become moresustainable. And the heartening response seems to be ‘quitea lot’

From theindustryfeedbackwehave receivedfrommerchandise professionals, thereislittledoubt that thesector is taking its responsibilities seriously and that the conversation around sustainabilityhas become morematureand meaningful, taking in amoreholistic approach to the subject overall.

In thefollowing pages we have tried to outline some of thebestpractices we have found as well as commentaryonhow the sector is dealing withthe myriad demands of sustainability.

As youshould expect from suchas sprawling subject and from thelarge number of players that make up our industry, it cannot claim to be completely exhaustive,but it does give agood flavour of what’shappening in our sector

Foramoregranular pictureyou should ask your partners what they aredoing to

Merchandise is on ajourney to greater sustainability Product Media finds out where it is heading

become moresustainable. The answers maysurprise you.

AMATURING CONVERSATION

Manufacturer CHX claims to be theonly supplier to have only ever used 100% recycled plastic formorethan20years. That position is paying off nowasthe companyisgetting ahuge amount of interest and demand to knowwhatelseit’s doing, says CHX sales director Max Rutland.

Once upon a time, its recycled usage would have been enough to get credit forbeing ‘eco’, he admits but nowthe conversation has matured.

In termsofphysical and material actions, thecompanyhas done anumber of things to beevenmore sustainable. It has installed LEDlighting throughout thefactoryand packaging for orders is now100% recycled cardboard cartons, biodegradable bags and paper packing tape.

Twonew hybrid moulding machines are planned to deliverenergy savings and two machines aremanufacturing components that were previously sourced from China.

Solar panels withbatterystorage areto be added to afinished extension, and an old gas central heating system is being replaced

Sustainability in theloop

We’reused to eco-friendly stories about turning one thing intosomething else –but howabout turning bottles intobottles?That’sexactly what First Editions is doing withits new Loop bottle.

The source forthis new drink bottle is recycled plastic milk bottles. In aclosed-loop production facility, themilkbottles aresorted, cleaned, shredded and melted down intopellets.

These arethenused to manufacturethe Loop Based on First Editions’popular style Olympic bottle, withano-slip grip,the Loop helps prevent recyclables ending up in landfill.

The Loop is made in theUKfrom100% postconsumer waste. The result is abottle whichis food grade-assured, BPAfreeand dishwasher safe. It’sfully customisable and presented in recyclable packaging. To put thecherry on top, it’s produced using renewable energy from First Editions’zerowasteplant.

MarkAlderson, managing director of First Editions, said: “Withbusinesses increasingly demanding trust and traceabilityfromtheir suppliers, we place sustainabilitycentrestage and offer completetransparencythroughout our supply chain.”

He added: “Our focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy supply and a‘zero waste’ production process is helping us to mitigateour environmental impact and reduce our carbon footprint. Business success should not come at acost to theplanet.”

The Loop will launchthis summer

with an all-electric air-conditioning system (run by solar) inconjunction withanair source heat pump

There’salways moretobedone, Rutland admits. The companyhopes to develop acradle to cradle lifecycle this year,with thepotential tosend back products to be recycled.

This comes withits challenges including accreditation forplastic and being audited fornet zero

Along this journey to greater sustainability, it would have been helpful to knowhow end users want suppliers to be more sustainable, but thejourney is worth it, he says.

“We’re still learning from thejourney but one thing we would sharenow is to just do it. Being moresustainable is not just agreat business driverbut in manyareas it’salready savedusbothtime and cost.”

IT’SADIFFERENTIATOR

In an effort to improveits commitment to sustainability, Everything Seedshas focused on its materials, says sales director Toby Burge.

“Wesource our materials from local suppliers to reduce our carbon footprint and use biodegradable and plant-based inks wherever possible. However, not all of our products currently contain theseinks, andweare constantly exploring new ways to improve our products and reduce our environmental impact.”

The companyisinthe process of becoming aBCorp, whichmeans it is held to rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

It is committed to reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources and working towards using renewable energy to power its warehouse, as well as looking forwaysto improve processes and reduce waste.

Sustainable materials aremoreexpensive than theiralternativesbut thecompany believes it is worthittoalign its values with its products.

The upside is that acommitment to sustainabilityhas been beneficial to the business.

“Weare able to differentiateourselves in acrowded marketand appeal to customers who arelooking forproducts that align

a number to be even more

withtheir values,” says Burge, who urges businesses to stay committedtotheir values.

“It is not alwayseasy or convenient, but it is essential to stay true to what you believeinand to keep pushing yourself to do better.”

THINKING SMARTER

Garment producer Snuggle has reduced single use plastics forshippingand recycles andreuses cardboardboxes

It recently upgraded its direct to garment printers to aplatformwhich carbon offsets manufacturing and shipping. Snuggle also encourages customers to use print on demand whichisamoresustainable, environmentally friendly process by only producing what is ordered. This helps to reduce carbon emissions as well as excess stockand waste.

The learning curve is steep admits director Shabbir Maimoon (above left) who says that sustainabilityadds up to alot of investment.

“Improvingefficiencyand workingon sustainable options has acost increase attached to it and getting customers to understand and appreciatehow those changes areimprovingthingscan sometimes be achallenge,” he says.

Pinksheep takeslong-term view

Surrey-based merchandise business

Pinksheep has amission to source at least 50%ofits merchandise sustainably by 2025

Keytothis and to delivering a sustainable proposition to customers is thebusiness’s Orasystem which provides sustainable buying choices for customers and allows them to collect eco tokensthat can be spent on avariety of environmental and social causes.

The system wasdeveloped in-house threeyears ago and is nowonits second version withthe thirditeration being developed.

Customers gave great feedback on Ora but wanted more, says Phil Law, sales director.“Manysustainable campaigns focus on tree planting, and Oraprovides this toobut customers wanted to be able to choose arange of outcomes so Ora has also linked withEcologi and Plastic Bank to let customers choose howthey ‘spend’ thetokens that they accumulate by purchasing sustainable merchandise.”

Asmart dashboardalso lets customers drill down intotheir purchases to see howsustainable they arebeing in their merchandise purchases and plan forthe future.

All of this is based on Pinksheep’s own assessment of howsustainable individual products areusing aprocess that Law describes as thorough.

He adds: “Creating Orawas challenging as it required asignificant amount of development work to integrateitintoour custom management system. Grading

everyproduct based on nine metrics of sustainabilitywas also time-consuming. We believethat we have gone further than other businesses in our approach, whichinvolvesmorethanjust planting trees.”

The programme also needed to include theright partners who could back up their sustainabilityclaims forblue chip clients. Forinstance, Ecologi and Plastic Bank use blockchain.

Orahas giventhe companya differentiator overits competitors, says Law.

“Our experience has taught us that clients aremoreeducated than we initially thought,” he says. “Jumping on thesustainabilitybandwagon to tickabox without acomprehensive understanding of what sustainability entails will not work.Sustainabilityis not aquick fix and requires significant investment and effort overmanyyears.”

The companyalso talks thetalk in its ownprocesses withsustainable energy use and predominantly electric company cars.

It also took arecycling approach to its move to new offices. Opsdirector Billy Gubbydid most of therenovation of theold print workshop they movedinto himself,using recycled materials where possible and installing energy efficient LEDlighting.

As well as officesfor nearly 20 staff, thebusiness nowhas its ownwarehouse space and industrial space forbranding and printing.

coming out of lockdown, says Law. It

The companyhas hadagreat year coming out of lockdown, says Law. It movedtonew offices and has doubled turnoverthanks mainly to afocus on international business.

“Post Covid, anumber of clients were looking to runinternational events but found that alot of suppliers were pulling out of doing it because of Brexit redtape, reliabilityissues and cost. It’s difficult to do but we pursued it and developed anew speciality.”

Last

bag order?

Bags printed &delivered within 24 hours.

1000’s of bags in stock Eco-friendly screen printing

Whether you need your order today,tomorrow or by the end of the week, we canguarantee printing and delivery to you on time.

We screen print using ecofriendly vegan water-based inks, emulsions and glues as standard for hard wearing, bright colours and high opacity superior quality prints.

IT’SONGOING

This year sees thelargest range of eco-friendly products ever in Laltex Group’s historywiththe companymaking significant changes to itspremisesand operations.

The purchasing department worksclosely withsuppliers to reduce theamountof overall packaging and single use plastic packaging on everyorder.New products considered have their eco-credentials challenged, withpreference alwaysgiven to recycled options first, and recyclable options next.

When bringing in anew item or reordering an existing item withrecycled material claims, it will nowbeconfirming

Juniperbrings production home

Andrew Langley,managing director of Juniper Trading explains thesteps it has takentosustainability

"Juniper has been ISO4001for many years and have during that time always had asustainabilitystrategy to reduce our impact on theenvironment through a process of continual improvement. In the past this has resulted in us changing over all our lights in our 22,000sq ft factoryto LEDs, introducing daylight panels in the factorytoreduce theneed forlighting, investments in new moreenergy efficient compressors and boilers and switching last year to 100% renewable electricity. We also have managed down our waste to landfill to 5% and have an aspiration to get to zero wastetolandfill by 2025.We do not use anysingleuse packaging as standard.

Ourbiggest single initiative though would be theongoing process overthe last 10 years of reshoring production from China and India to theUK. This creates theissue that we will use moreUK energy,but on agloballevel, that is better as we arereducing energy used in thefar

this withGRS or RCScertification where possible and all organic goods must be GOTS certified.

Going forward, information relating to sustainabilitywill be added to products and packaging wherepossible.

In addition, thebusiness has installed 548 solar panels to generateover203,000 kWh of electricityintheir first year,offsetting 48 tonnes of CO2emissions annually

Alow energy LEDlighting upgrade to the warehouse will save 66% energy and 250 tonnes of carbon emissions over10years.

Abaler is being installed to compress bothcardboard and plastic forcollection

and recycling.

FOLLOW THE PROCESS

Oldeani takesits social responsibilityto being asustainable business seriously “Weare alwayslooking at ways to improve sustainabilityinour products and processes and reduce our impact on theenvironment”,saysmanaging director Malcolm Fritschy.“Consumers are demanding sustainabilityinproducts and while this challenges theway we work it is an opportunityfor us to improveand make

east, whichwillbegenerated by coal. We have also massivelypivoted ourproducts to sustainable materials, discontinuing lines that we felt no longer meet our criteria forsustainabilityand developing awardwinning new products.

As amanufacturer we face abig challenge to captureand calculateour carbon footprint. However, that is the goal we have set ourselves and we are about to beginworking withabusiness mentor who is head of sustainability foralarge local companyand we are recruiting forapost graduateplacement during their Masters course from the UniversityofNorthampton. The oldadage that “you can’t manage what youcan’t measure” is never moreimportant than

here. However, we do not underestimate thetask whichisfar greater than anoffice based business, especially when youare dealing withthe vast number of global rawmaterials that we buy

I’dliketoinvest in asolar scheme but our roof contains asbestos and the costs arehugetoreclad. Even if it were possible Iamtoldthat our local electricity infrastructuresupplier would be unable to connect us to thegrid to receive generated solar electricitydue to their owncapacityissues in our area.

Sometimes companies that want to invest can’t because of forces outside their control.However we will continue to lookfor ways that we cancontinuously reduce our carbon footprint."

changes forthe better.Companies that can’t meet these demands will be squeezed out of themarket.”

Sourcing is thestarting point and Oldeani is ISO accredited so only works withsuppliers that cansupply compliant products. Design is carefully considered to ensureproducts arepractical and made to last. ManyOldeani products nowholdthe Global RecycleStandard(GRS).

Wherepossible materials have been replaced withsustainable options suchas moving theproduction of bags from nylon to RPET, whichoffers thesamequalities and reduces wasteinlandfill.

Oldeani uses only FSC certified packaging and has replaced bags withcornstarch liners. It is in theprocess of moving all of its product packaging to kraft boxes which don’t requirelaminationsoare simple to recyclewhile giving ahighquality look.

SCOPE FORIMPROVEMENT

The road to sustainabilitycan be long and hard, especially once businesses start to examine theirsupply chains.

In 2022, The Outdoors Companybegan directly measuring theScope 1and Scope 2 impact of its business through its own emissions and energy choices. Using a trackerand energy system to measureand report on howmanymetrictonnes of CO2 were created by direct impact, it wasable to beginexploring various carbon offsetting schemes.

To tackle theupstream Scope 3impact of thebusiness, it tries to get as much information from its partner brands on what stage eachisat, and monitor theimpact of promoting and supplying that brand. This helps withtransparencyfor customers about theirproduct’senvironmental footprint.

Having workedhardonenvironmentally sustainable products, thecompanywas proud when its Rab Downpour Eco wonthe BPMA ApparelProduct of theYearAward.It is made from 100% recycled materials and Rab offers alifetime guarantee to keep its products out of landfill.

Bicaimsfor life-longstory

Bic Graphic Europe began its sustainabilityprogramme 20 years ago

From theinception of thecompanythe Bic ethos has alwaysbeentoonly use what is necessarytomakehigh-quality, long-lasting products, and overthe past two decades thecompanyhas taken that concept further withanumber of innovations to increase thesustainability of Bic products during manufacture, while in use, and at theend of life.

The Bic Ecolutions range waslaunched in 2003 withthe introduction of theBic Evolution Ecolutions, agraphitepencil made from recycled yogurt pots and fridges. In thefollowing years Bic has developed additional writing instruments in theEcolutions range, produced from a range of recycledmaterials suchasscrap car parts, fruit and vegetabletrays, and scrap from pharmaceutical waste, or from bio-based alternative materials.

In an effort to makesustainable choices even simpler,Bic Graphic has also reduced thecost of this recycled Ecolutions ballpen range to thesameprice as thestandard versions, so thereisnopremium for selecting thegreen option

The latest addition to theproduct range is theSuper Clip Origin. This twist-action ballpen is made from natural ingredients suchascastor oil, sawdust and talc, resulting in abio-based material composed of natural polymers without petroleum, oil or fossil fuels.

Bic is also focussed on what happens to its products at theend of theusable life, and in 2011 it committed to funding a writing instrument collection programme in partnership withTerracycle. Since then, morethan 60 million pens have been recycled,tobeturnedintopicnic benches, planters and other outdoor

products.

The Bic Graphic Europe factory is poweredby100% renewable energy,and thecompanysets regular goals to improvethe societal and/or environmental footprint of Bic products. The group has commitments to reduce theamount of virgin petroleum plastic and to ensurethat 100% of consumer packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.

In 2023 Bic Graphic continues to improve its sustainable offering, by launching afreerefill service to extend thelifeofanumberofbest-selling pens.

FUTURE TARGETS

Stormtechisanother garment companyonamission to make clothing moresustainable through product design, sourcing, and compliance. The introduction of its PureEarthrange represents another step forward. Adecadeincreation, PureEarth uses content from Recycled Polyester (RPET) and Certified BCI Cotton. By turning discarded plastics into

Comment-Sustainabilityatany price?

We all want abetterworld, but buyers have to appreciatethe value exchange, says Jason

O’Connor,sales director, TotalMerchandise

We recently conducted some research into what our customers really want from us. Hundreds of people shared their thoughts and it wasnosurprise that sustainabilitywas arecurring theme, with customers particularly keen that these itemsbe'budget-friendly' and 'lowcost'.

Because of course, as muchasthere’s agrowing desiretoembrace greener practices, there’sthe fiscal flip side. Awareness surrounding sustainabilityhas increased but marketing budgets haven’t. While manyofour coreproducts can accommodatespend of all sizes, there’s no denying that theirgreen counterparts come witha price tag.

Customers who aren’t yetclued up on sustainabilitycan feel alienated by this,querying whythey’re being quoted

morefor 'better' choices. On theother hand, conversations about lowering unit costs can put youatrisk of alienating thesupplier,who rightly knows the value of their products. The distributor is stuckinthe middle, withthe sweet irony being that switching to an eco-specific inventoryfocus is simply unsustainable right nowfor abusiness likeours.

When my partners and Ilaunched TotalMerchandise in 2004,sustainability wasn’t even awhisper.It’snow one of theloudest voices in theroom and it’s awe-inspiring to see theproducts and passion that have evolvedinthis crucial sector of our industry.

At TM,we’ve workedhardtoorganically build our eco offering overthe years and currently have around 1,000 items that all have genuine green credentials, withthis number ever-growing. The popularityis ever-growing, too: in Q1 of 2023, our eco range accounted forjust under 30% of our

polyester and committing to sustainably sourced cotton, thecompanyreduces wasteand theenvironmental impact of apparel production.

PureEarthprioritises animal welfare, sustainable fabric treatments and technologies, and implementing sustainable printing and packaging practices.

In 2023,Stormtech aimed for60% of all new polyester styles to be sourced from recycled fabrics. It exceeded this target, with80% of thenew Spring 2023 collection being sourced from sustainable materials.

100most ordered products.

Ibelievethat aside-by-side existence of our bread-andbutter items and their sustainable equivalents is keytoensuring we don’t lose sight of what thestill-majorityofour customers want from us. Ialso believe moreconsumer-focused education across all industries -not just ours -isrequired on thesubject of sustainability.

This expands farpast pricing and, for this industrytomove forwardonthe sustainabilityfront, customers need to understand thevalue that aligning themselves withthese products can bring.

We’realiving, breathing business, and we’llkeep evolving as our customers do After all, thefuture’smoresustainable if it’s realistic.

Futureobjectivesinclude sourcing mono materials fornew designs by Fall 2023, launching thefirst circular design collection by early 2024,obtaining 100% sustainable cotton forall new styles by 2025,and transitioning thetop 10 materials to sustainable alternativesby2027.

LOGISTICS CENTRALISATION

Victorinox targetsbothits internal operations and those of our suppliers to apply environmentally friendly production methods.

It has developed recyclingfacilities for grinding sludge and steel residue that are unique within theindustry.

Further,itoptimises wasteheat in production withheat pumps and heat recovery from its ventilation systems. Thanks to closed-loop cooling systems, its demand forfresh waterislimited to emergencycooling. Photovoltaic systems areinstalled on several companybuildings compensating around 500tons of CO2

Innocent takesthe wrap forsustainability

Innocent Drinks first started selling smoothies at amusic festival in 1999 and since then thebrand has been on amission to keep people healthy,helpout thecommunities who need it most and makesureour planet becomes healthier too.

As part of this,itgives 10%ofprofits to charityand has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025

It thereforefollows that anymerchandise has to fit intothese laudable brand values, so anycampaign message has to be useful and meaningful forcustomers.

It turned to Brandelitytoproduce aseries of Innocent Smoothie’s Beeswax Wraps, as an example of howcompanies can promoteuseful and meaningful campaigns that make a difference to theenvironment. These wraps aredesigned to replace plastic clingfilm, whichisone of themost common sources of plastic waste. By using beeswax wraps, consumers can reduce their plastic wasteand help to protect the environment.

The campaign message behind Innocent Smoothie’s Beeswax Wraps is simple but powerful: by making small changes, we can alldoour part in stopping clingfilmfromentering our oceans and harming marine life. This message resonates withpeople who want to makeadifference and encourages them to take action in theirown lives.

The client said: “New and exciting branded merch.We’re thrilled withthe results of our latest collaboration with Brandelity. We can’twait to see howour consumers react.”

Brandelityhas previously supplied other promotional items forInnocent, including notebooks, pens, and flash drives, all of whichfit withits sustainabilityand eco-friendly ethos.

everyyear.Last but not least, product packaging is constantly optimised forsize and recyclability.

Anew European distribution centre in Switzerland centralises theVictorinox warehouse making transfer transportation redundant, and offering direct access to railway transportation.

Introducing the

® SuperClip range of products.

We call it “Sup and we aren exaggerating.

all it “Sup s a a act carbo

er”. Or maybe :firstofall areaonthe clip;and nd all printed nfootprint.Isn’t

Maybe you wonder whywecallit“Super”.Ormaybe you already know it.But just in case,let us explain:firstofall becauseofits moder style; also because of itsbig printing area on theclip;and it’s made in Europe with 100% renewable energy andall manufactured and printe in BIC factoriesfor alow impactcarbonfootprint.Isn’t it Super?

GLACÉSOFT

Imagine.Ready?Great:imagine thefamousBIC®Super Clip made from natural raw materials likewood flour,castoroil and talc powder*. Just imagine,aBIC®Super Clip thatcontributes to amoresustainable future. Now stop imagining it:you have it here.

Castor oil Wood flour Talc Powder

SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE 2023

8thJune2023 | Crowne Plaza, Marlow

Theoffcial launch of the StepForwardPledge,the BPMA Sustainability Conferenceexploresthe actionsevery member business needstotakenow to ensure they arefitfor thefuture.Expertspeakers, panelsand workshopswill provide everymemberattendingwiththe tools, insights andinformation they need to step forwardintoamoresustainable future

BOOK YOUR TICKETSNOW

BPMA members only Ticketsavailable nowvia bpma.co.uk/events with specialrates forCharter members.

WITH THANKS TO OURCONFERENCESPONSORS

RECYCLED MATERIALS

Keramikos and Thermalmateare introducing increasingly popular Bio and Eco products, whichare also fully recyclable. This is in addition to the company’sblackuniversal and black sports bottles being manufactured from recycledvirginmaterials from a factoryinthe UK

Alittle-known fact is that its ceramics arerecycled too. Mugs that cannot be savedare crushedfor road construction materials, while plastics areturned intocarpet underlay.

Its next step this year is to recover and harness theheatgenerated by thecompany’skilns andcirculatethe hotair through thefactoryand offices during thecolder months.

CASTELLI CAPTURES CARBON

Castelli is committed to ensuring it incorporates environmental and sustainabilityissues intoits services and activities. As amanufacturer of paper products, its awareness is towardsthe respectful use of natural materials and the long-term sustainabilityofnatural resources.

BPMA productwinners demonstratesustainability

The most recent BPMA product awards turned thefocus on sustainabilityintwo categories. Sustainable Product of the Year Platinum winner was CHX’s rHIPS.b range of plastic promotional items which aremade from aspecially developed material that is tested to ISO 15985and ASTM B5511certification. Made from recycled plastics, thematerial is fully biodegradable, and unlike other popular bioplastics it does not requireextremely particular conditions to biodegrade. rHIPS.b polymer is brokendownbyover 600naturally occurring microbes in home compost, marine, and landfill.

Gold awardwent to Trading’s Cyclo+ Awar Tote Bag whichispart closed-loop production system that upcycles pre-consumer textile wasteand grants consumers the abilitytotrack theentirejourney of their product with Awaretracer technolo

Textile wasteisused durable, coloured yarn of themost environment alternativesusedtomakethe bags. Silver went to Juniper Trading’s Recyco notebooks whichare UK made from recycled materials and availableasstandardlined books, wellness journals, business planners, and withtrim options.

Therewas also an awardfor theSustainable Innovation of theYear whichwent to XD Connects’Impact AwareRPETlightweight rolltop backpack

This year’s Gold winner wasDesktop Ideas’MrBIO Smart (NFC) charge cable.

Productfocus –sustainable tech

BabyUSB is taking abig step forwardin its quest forsustainable tech,withanew range of poweroptions made from a unique blendoforganic hemp,cotton and RPETrecycledplastic bottles.

The SustainX range includes power banks, awireless charger and acharging cable. The 10,000mAh powerbank is made from four recycledbottles, its smaller 5,000mAh brotherfromtwo and theQiwireless chargerfromone and a half bottles.

To addtoboththeirvisual and eco appeal, theproducts arefinished with organic hemp and cotton fabric.The same materials also featureinBabyUSB’s tablet and laptop pouches.

Kashif Siddiquei, BabyUSB’s managing director,said: “There’s never been abettertimeto‘keep it local’. Our dedicated warehousing and branding facility, based in theUK, means we can offer our best sellers withaquick turnaround, even forsmaller quantities.”

FSC paper is standardfor all bound Castelli diaries, notebooks, and used in theproduction of all sales literature. It has apaperless order processing system to ensurepaper usage is kept to aminimum.

Castelli promotes wastereduction throughout thecompanyand has completed apackaging audit.

It is also started theprocess to be become bothBCorpand EcoVardis certified.

The ethical approach hasproved advantageous when advertising fornew employees, who aremotivated, driven and passionateabout theenvironment.

By making an ethical and positive supplier selection Castelli is now involved in theCarbon Capturescheme and, to date, has planted 424,638 trees and helped raise over £1.57m forthe Woodland Trust, capturing over96,000 tons of CO2through positive purchases of paper

From farm to bag

Acotton bagfeaturing full transparencyfromfarmtofinal product is thelatest innovation from Jutebag, in aquest to produce a bagproviding an unrivalled level of accountability.

The cotton is grownonthe Kenyan island of Lamu, procured from smallscale farmersat apremium.Farmers aregiven thecotton seeds forfree and only natural fertilisers areused.

The rawcotton is sent to aginnery and then to ThikaClothingMills, whichproduces thefinal fabric This is then sent to thecoastal city of Mombasa, wherethe bags are stitched beforebeing transported by sea to theUK.

Jutebag director Parit Shah was bornand brought up in Kenyaand personally visited thefarms and all theproduction facilities while planning this initiative

Eachbag comes witha unique QR code that can be scanned to access detailed information about the journey of thecotton from thefarm to thefinal product.

Half of profits from thesales of thebag will help fund achildren’s education project in thecotton growing area.

Parit said: “The brands buying this bagcan feel confident that they are making asustainable and ethical choice and profits going back to the cotton growing villages will makea positive impact to thefarmers and their communities.”

Have your

cake…

Edible treats have been agrowing sector,and are perfect for thanking staff and customers during recent tough times

Chorley-based EatMyLogostarted as aside-line project to ahigh streetcelebration cakebusiness owned by Ruth andAndrew Poar, called CakesbyRuthbackin2014. The initial aim wastosupply branded cupcakes to business in thelocal area alongside thebirthdayand wedding cakes that the business produced.

It soon became apparent that thebusiness had found agap in themarketand the side-linegrewquickly and required bigger premises whichled to acouple of moves. It nowemploys 18 people andishousedin a10,000 squarefoot bakery,toserve high levels of demand

The Eat My Logo team nowproduces awiderange of logobranded cakes and biscuits, with millions of unitsbeingsold each year

Likenearlyall promotionalbusinesses, thepandemic put aseverekinkinthe growth curve of theBriman member, says Andy Poar.“As ourproduct rangeis typically purchased forbusiness events and celebrations, ourorder book dried up almost overnight. It wasa scarymoment,but we had no choice but to adapt to what had happened andattackthe market,”hesays. Therewerestill opportunities out there and thecompanyquicklyrealisedthatit could adapt itsproducts to appeal to the postal delivery market.

As aresult,ithelpedthousands of businessesconnect withtheirstaff and customers,withthe help of tastytreats senttotheir home addresses. Eat My Logo developedpostableproducts such as oatbites,donuts andcupcakes,letterbox brownies, andbiscuit brew boxes.

The quieter pandemic period also allowed it to focusoncreatinganew platform to help distributors generate revenue. It developeda TradePortal, whichoffers distributor partners resourcesincluding product information,artwork templates, pricing, and marketing

Poar says he has noticedthatbusinesses arethinking moreabout howtokeep their staffhappy sincethe pandemic.

“Whenthe businessbegan, buyers were mostly giving outproducts to people at eventsand conferences. Nowadays with employeeengagement topping thelistof priorities formanybusinesses, around 60%of our orders areused by businesses to give to their ownpeople,”hesays.

“Whether this is forbrand anniversaries team rewards, celebrations or ‘justbecause’, it is fantastictosee,becauseitshows that small gestures can meana lot,” he adds.

Despite theproblemscreated by the pandemic, thebusiness wasabletopivot successfully to suchanextentthatboth2021 and2022wererecord years, andit is on target formoregrowthin2023.

Eat My Logo has invested in new machinerytomakeproductionasefficient as possible, including depositors, ovens,and flow wrapping machines.

Productdevelopment has alsobeena major focus withdozens of new products to keep therange fresh andexciting. New releases include funkycupcakes, logo chocolates,canvascakes and more.

FoundersRuthand Andy have also been empoweringtheir team to runthe business daytoday,putting in place amanagement team that they hopewill enable them to step back from theday to dayrunningofthe business within thenextfew years.

Forthe future, Eat My Logo aims to provideanevenmorepersonaland

proactive servicefor eachand every distributor as well as making operations moreefficient.

“Wefeelthat this is reallykey,and the distributorswho work withusinthisway reallydosee thebenefit in termsofenquiries andrevenue,” says Poar

As distributors getfamiliarwithhow edible products areused, end users can expect to see manymoreoptions coming their wayin theyears ahead,headds.

“Sowatch this space fornew product launches throughout theyear.”

MAKING THECASEFOR MERCHANDISE

The BPMA landed awin for the promotional merchandise industry in its first in person debate in the palace of

On28thMarch 2023,the

BPMA hosted adebate aimed at bringing end users to thetable to represent the powerofpromotional merchandise

Hosted at theHouse of Commons, the BPMA represented its first in person debate as part of The Debating Group,torepresent thepromotional merchandise industry. The debatechallenged end user speakers to a head-to-head on thesubject of theeffective relationship withpromotional merchandise

THE MOTION

The motion “Promotional merchandise is themediumwhichforges themost effective and long-termemotional relationship withits

audience”was proposed by theBPMA’sCEO Carey Trevill, supported by Ollie Gilmore, group planning director at advertising agency, VCCP Opposing themotion wasled by Tony Spong, lead consultant forBrand Strategy at advertising consultancy, AAR and Alana Ballantyne, planning director,alsofromVCCP. ChairedbyBaroness Amanda Sater,herself a former marketer, thedebateprovided lively discussion and reportedly thelongest question and answer session thedebatehas ever had.

The BPMA motion argued that effective communication must connect emotionally withthe audience.Presenting thebelief that promotional merchandise is themedium whichcan deliverina long-lasting, effective andimpactful way, Trevill and Gilmore presented amultifacetedargument which

Westminster

helped thelistening audience understand theplace promotional merchandise holds forconsumers. Spong and Ballantyne in response, presented an excellent case to stateitwas amix of channels and mediums whichall help to delivereffective outcomes.

Tough opponents in thedebate, the opposition were quicktounpickthe arguments presented and while thevotewas close run, questions from thefloor whichchallenged on everyaspect from sustainabilitytorelevance to getting in theroom at thestart of thebrief, provedinthe end to sway thevoteinthe

BPMA’s favour.Apre-debatevoteshoweda number of theaudience had swapped sides to vote in favour of themotion despitethe mix of end users and promotional experts, theshift left theBPMAwitharesounding success.

Forand Against

The debating teams were:

Discussion wascontinued after thedebate in one of Westminster’s famous politico pubs, The RedLion and several discussion points will be continued after this debate. The BPMA would liketothank everyone who attended thedebateasthe support for theindustryand new connections made will help raise theprofile of merchandise.

MEERKATS, MUSIC AND THOSE RED CAPS

Delving deep intothe emotional psyche, the proposing team from theBPMA, pointed to awide range of effective measures, citing theemotional response merchandise drives when received.Leaving lasting memory and exceptional recall,the proposers used a wide range of examples from Comparethe Market’smeerkattoystothe fact we drink from aStellaArtois ‘chalice’rather than apint glass. Even Trump’s infamous redcapswere used to illustratethe role of merchandise in asense of identityand belonging.

The opposing team leveraged theirside of thedebatebyusing examples of channels which happily providememorable experience and recall without merchandise. Tony Spong used aspecific piece of advertising music to illustratekey points on howweassociate withbrands and marketing. He urged the assembled audience to consider all sides in his closing speechtohelpshift thedebatevote.

Taking awiderange of questions from the floor,attendees challenged thedebaters to address keypoints from sustainabilitytobeing part of theconversation earlier in thestrategic process. End users from major media outlets pondered thequestion; whywas merchandise not in themix moreoften? Answering the questions from thefloor,the debaters qualified manydifferent aspects of thequestions posed particularly on sustainable options and howbest to bring merchandise intothe pitch processes earlier.The opposing team encouraged the assembled promo industryrepresentatives to put themselves front and centrewith theideas as thedoor waswide open.

OPPOSING SIDES AND COLLEAGUES

On thedebateteam were not only two colleagues from thesameagency, VCCP,but also workedtogether on thesameaccount. This made thedebateevenmoreinteresting as it showeditwas possible to represent awide range of views from end users. During questions from thefloor,acouple of promo industry colleagues used great examples of merchandise activatedthrough VCCP on behalf of their clients whichmadefor afascinating discussion.

SUSTAINABILITYWAS AHOT TOPIC

Trevill addressed thewide range of sustainable questions raised to statethe important role of theindustrytoadvise and assist everyend user achievesustainable goals, citing thevast range of options the whole industryneeded to shout about.

Using promotional merchandise in an unashamed way, Carey Trevill’sclosingwords, pointed to thelovely promo gifts she had brought foreachmember of thedebateteam. Presented to eachbeforethe debatestarted she said she would forgivethemfor arguing against themotion as she knew they had fallen forthe wonderful sustainable and British made products in their goodie bags. Quoting a BPMA mantra, expect theextraordinarywhen it comes to promotional merchandise, Trevill urgedend users to appreciatethe pivotalrole merchandise playsinthe marketing mix.

Beforethe debate started, a‘pre-vote’was takentoascertain thedirection of theroom and withthe vote landing agreater majority, at least 15%ofattendees had changedtheir minds after hearing from thedebate. PM adds alittlefurther disclosuretosay theroom was split around 60/40 in favour of thedebatepurely as so manypromo people were in theroom.

THE DEBATING GROUP

Under formal debating rules, The Debating Group has been debating contentious political issues whichsurround marketing since the 1970sand while this debatehad less political challenge, therepresentation of industryin this political setting brought thechallenges faced by our sector intothe spotlight.

The Debating Group boasts trade association members from across thespectrum and includes theChartered InstituteofMarketing, Advertising Association, IPIA, Data &Marketing Association and MarketResearch Society. The BPMA joined afew years ago and hosted one of thefirst virtual events in 2020,also winning that debate,helping further theprofile of theindustrywithend user audiences.

Tulip Siddiq MP is theDebating Group’s President and is joined by members of the House of Commons and House of Lords to support this important group,driving discussion about creative industries.

AGAINST TO NY SPON G, LE AD CO NSULTA NT FO RB RA ND STR AT EGY,A AR

OLLIE GIL MORE ,G RO UP PL ANNING DIRECTOR ,V CC P

CAR EY TREVILL, CEO,B PM A

AGAINST AL ANA BA LL ANT YN E, PL ANNING DIRECTOR ,V CC P

PASSING THEBATON

Asabusiness owner youhave probably spent countless hours writing business plans overthe years to help keep your business thriving. As aresult, youmay have awell-developed business plan in place but have yougone far enough in considering what happens to your business after youretireorifthe unexpected should happen?

Fewconsider succession planning earlier than they need to,whether that be selling thebusiness to acompetitor passing it on to family members or to one or two keyemployees, or even creating an employeeshareownership scheme, depending on thesizeofthe company.

PLANS IN PLACE

Whatever thefutureholds, it’simportant to have aclear plan in place so youknowyour business is in good hands when thetimecomes.

We knowitcan be hardtoimagine someone else running your business after you’ve nurtured it and watched it grow,but creating asuccession plan helps youlookafter its future.

Some of thebenefits of succession planning include:

•putting theright people in charge

•looking forwardtoretirement

•preparing forthe unexpected

•peace of mind that your business will continue

The promotional merchandise sector has its fair shareofbusinesses that have been around for20, 30 or even 50 years or more -businesses that have been builtonlongterm customer and supplier relationships withacultureand identitythatreinforces whytheyhavebeenaround forsolong.

KNOWYOUR OPTIONS

Employees who have helped theowner(s) makethe businessa success storyare stakeholders withavested interest in thefuture wellbeing having possibly committed agreat deal of theirown emotional capital to the cause. Fewowners mayseriously consider having meaningful internal discussions about their plans, even though they arethe very ones who really knowhow thebusiness ticks. The normal scenario is to offer to seek an

external buyer,someone withthe financial means to do adeal. Understandably, suchpotential buyers maynot have the same motivations as thoseofemployees; chiefamongst them beingtobolton extrasales to theircurrent business withaviewtoaneventual sale with thebenefit of acombined turnover.

CONSIDER THE STAFF

So whyshould an owner start thesuccession planning process by first considering selling to one or moreemployees?

The keymotivation would be to leave a legacy, to allowthe business to continue to flourish, maintain its identity, its cultureand continued employment forexisting staff.If this canbemaintained and agreeable sales termsnegotiated, then surely this must be thebestoutcome forall concerned?

Such atransition would allowthe existing owner(s) to scale back on theirday-to-day commitments during thebuyout period, thus allowing theowner(s) to makethe transition to retirement less of acliff edge experience. Fortunately,todaythereare various avenues available to employees to meet thefinancial requirements of buying thebusiness and owners should at least give them theopportunitytodoso.

Paul Green is managing director of theGalpeg Networkwhichprovides back office solutions forpromotional merchandise businesses

Succession planning need not be radical, but it pays to know what options are open to you, says Paul Green

SUSTAINABLY MADE IN BRITAIN

Selecting aproduct that is manufactured in the UK cuts down on transport and supports the national economy

Opinion maybesplit about Britain’s place in theworld post-Brexit,but it hasdelivered onecertainty –morethanever, people want to buy British.

In arecent surveyofmorethan1,200 consumers and 280businesses conducted by themembership organisation MakeIt British, 69%ofconsumers said they were morelikelytobuy British products, and indeed were prepared to payapremium for them.

The reasons behind this response were varied but included thepreservation of UK manufacturing, thedesiretocreate new jobs at home and lowertheir carbon footprint.

Onecompanywhich hasbeen reaping therewards of this new enthusiasm for

home-manufactured products is drinkware specialist First Editions, whichhas seen tremendous investment and growth over thelastfew decades, largely drivenbythe company’scorevalues of sustainabilityand putting UK manufacturing front and centre

First Editions’products aredesigned, tested, manufactured and branded in-house in thecompany’sUK-based production facility. This, combined withthe company s focus on energy efficiency(from renewable sources) and its ‘zerowaste’ production process, is exactly what so manycustomers arelooking forthese days.

First Editions’bottles-for-lifeare packed witheco credentials, 100% BPA-free and dishwasher safetoo.The company stocks morethan amillion bottles and caps, providing plenty of choice and fast

turnaround

First Edition also has BPMA Charter Status withstaff TPMaccredited. It has achieved both ISO14001 and 9001,and is a founder member of theBritish Manufacturing group, Briman.

Managing director MarkAlderson said: “For so manyreasons there’snever been a better time to buy British We’re proud of our UK roots and they make a huge difference formanyofour customers when they’reselecting drinkware.”

SPREAD THEWORD

It’s no good having agreat sustainability story if

others, says Melissa Chevin

Asanindustrywhere in thepast (if we’rehonest) ‘giveaway’ has all toooften equated with ‘throwaway’, it’s vital that we take positive steps towards asustainable future.

An ideal first step in this important journey is to take theBPMASustainability Pledge.

Members can sign on to theStepForward Pledge and completeanonline assessment whichwill help them identify steps they can take to reduce theircarbonfootprint and reduce theirimpact on theenvironment.

Statement of intent

Once you’ve registered your interest, thenextsteprequired is to create asustainabilitystatement. Begin by assessing your existing processes and setting sustainabilitygoals to work towards.

Of course, manyother challenges lie ahead –but manyopportunities too, not

least in sharing your journey withothersby telling its storyaspart of your internal and external communication strategies.

Internal communication is just as important as external. Youshould be aiming to createacultureofsustainability within thecompany. Talk to your employees about your environmental priorities, from recyclingand zero waste policies right down to reusable coffee mugs.

Aligned vision

On theexternal side, it’sgood to communicatebothupand down the chain. This is agreat time to talk to your suppliers and ensuretheir vision aligns with yours.

Above all, tell your customers what you’re doing, and why. Social media is anatural channelfor muchofthis, as it thrivesoncompelling storytelling. These days, customers really want to feel a

connection withthe companies they buy from, and astrong brand storycan help build that emotionalconnection.

Tell your story

These stories arealso an ideal opportunity to showcase what individual employees are contributing in thepush towards greater sustainability, andtocelebratemilestones. Forexample, if you’ve switched to solar don’t just sayit–showit.

Finally,while this is an area whichcan be agreat differentiator foracompany’s marketing, please beware of over-claiming. Consumers have become muchmore sensitive to ‘greenwashing’overrecent years. So,let’s ensureour products really ‘walk the walk’and makereal, positive changes.

Formoreinformation on theBPMA StepForward Pledge, go to bpma.co.uk.

MelissaChevin is BPMA boarddirectorand marketing consultant with GF Consulting –mchevin@gf-consult.co.uk

Assessing the impact of your products on the planet is a complex and evolving process, says Matt Pluckrose

T

Raw Materials Freight

Transformation

Product life cycle

Everyaspect of theproduct’s production, shipping, packaging and progress from countryoforigin to finaluse is plotted, measured, and acomplexdatamap created.

DATA MAP

Thisdataiscompiled by theindependent companyworking with factories and manufacturers, couriers, andraw material suppliers. It considers inputs includingdistances travelled through themanufacturingsupplychain, the amountofelectricity used, including thetypeofpowerused, andall waste producedinproduction, to get to adata set that is putintoa complex spreadsheet creating afootprint expressed in tonnes of CO2e.Onceall data hasbeen logged and examined (for data validity) the endresult is thecarbonfootprint.

COMPENSATION

Useconsumption

he UK promotional industryleads theway in itsfocusonproducts with asustainable story. The demand overthe past 2-3years hasgrown at an amazing pace andmany suppliers and distributorshavecompletely switched to products that have been altered in some waytotry andmakethem lessharmful to theenvironment, whether throughpackagingorthe product makeup.valueand what suppliers anddistributors can do with this data. Firstly, aproduct’s footprint should be independently verified to be believable and to avoid claimsof greenwashing. Onesuch verification is ISO14067which is whatDesktopIdeas uses.

The next step is controversial with manycontrasting opinions from experts andgovernments. Thetopic is howto compensate theeffects of theproduct on theplanetand howthis compensation canbedescribed. Termssuch as ‘net zero and‘carbon offset’ arecurrently used,but this maychangeasopinions change

Manymarketers andtheir companies are turningawayfromorevenbanning any items that featuretheir logo if they have not been redesignedorrevamped to reducetheir impact. Ecological responsibilityisorshould become thestandardnot theexception with prices not at apremium forsuchgoods Oneofthe keyareas forour sector is the importanceofunderstandingand measuring aproduct’s‘footprint’ on theenvironment.

ASSESSING IMPACT

This is called theC02efootprint–meaning theCO2 equivalent –and assesses howits production has contributed to aproduct’sC02 emissions.

It is expressed in tonnes of C02e, so let’s look at someofthe factors that makeupthis

In technical terms, thecarbonfootprint of aproduct is theresultofa singlecriterialifecycle analysis andisexpressed in tons of CO2e per functional unit This is usedtoexpress theimpacts of a product overa predetermined lifetime.

Theelements that are measuredare shownbelow:

Different schemes can‘offset’ the CO2e such as planting trees,contributing moneytowind-farms, plastic waste removalfromthe oceans,water treatment and wave power. Allhavedifferent effectstoassist theenvironment and ‘giveback’ forthe effect of theproducts from ourindustryonthe planet

Ourindustryisnot theworst CO2 polluterbut equallyit’snot thebest andthe focuson measurement andaction following ‘carbon foot printing’ will become the normnot theexception as it is now. It’saneverchanging area that it pays to take expertadvice in and trustsuppliers who do so

MattPluckrose is managing director of DesktopIdeas

MINIMISE YOUR FOOTPRINT

Goldstar moves beyond pens in Europe

Writing instrument supplier Goldstar hasmade astrategic move towards unifying its globalbrand, bringing together two online presences under thesingledomain of SimplyGoldstar.com.

Previously thecompanyhas operated through bothGoldstarPens. com and GoldstarEurope.com.

The move signifies anumber of changesonthe horizonfor Goldstar’s growingbusiness, said R.J. Hagel, director of globalmarketing.

“This is an exciting time forour brand and furthering our vision of Simplicity. We areworking hardonseveral projects that support an easier wayofdoing business and opens thedoor to developing stronger intercontinental partnerships,” he said.

The new webexperience allows distributors across NorthAmerica and Europe to see all of theGoldstar offering across eachmarket.

On theproduct side of the

business, Hagel said therehad been atremendous response in NorthAmerica to theaddition of drinkware and bags categories in thepast couple of years, and it was introducing morethan 40 styles of drinkware and bags in Europe this spring and summer

He added: “Dozens moreitems including new writing instrument styles areplanned forFall. We’renow offering Simplicityinthe product categories our partner distributors need most. We want to be thought of formorethan just pens and when youthink of writing instruments, drinkware or bags, we want youto think—that’sSimplyGoldstar.com.”

Among other technology updates happening across thecompany, anew content platformjoins theupdated websiteaswell as theaddition of anew securityenhanced payment portal which Goldstar released in February. More updates areplanned later this year

£1.2minvestmentputsHDimagery centre stage

Promotional products suppliers The PenWarehouse and Snap Products are investing £1.2m as part of acommitment to delivering superior printing services and high-quality, innovative products.

The investment in thebusiness and its machineryincludesthe recently launched UltraHD printing system whichwas developed in-house overtwo years and offers unparalleled, high-definition print quality, thecompanies claim.

Product lines that canfeature UltraHD include writing instruments and drinkware,which areavailable withmagazine-qualityresolution, edge definition, colour gamut and colour gradation. The technology provides customers withalong-lasting full colour print finish that surpasses traditional printing methods.

The investment will include the

purchase of new machinery, as well as upgrading existing machinery, to improve efficiencyand capacity, enabling the companytooffer an even wider range of products and services to its distributors, including new personalisation options.

Managing director,Neil Cleere, said: “Weare thrilled to be investing in our

Sourcing City winners gather in style

Sourcing Cityassembled thewinners of itsSCAwardsfor aspecial lunchatthe spectacular Alex Dilling restaurant, housed in theCaféRoyal Hotel, London.

Twopeople from eachofthe winning companies were invited to enjoythe hospitalityand experienced asumptuous meal, and then drinks at The Glassblower. The conversation waslively and fun as people met oldfriends and new faces.

The awards were founded in 2007 and arerecognised in theindustryfor showing howwell bothsuppliers and distributors are

regarded by eachother,withbothsides of theindustryvoting forthe people they most respect and enjoydoing business with.

In theOver£3m Distributor Award Categorythe winner wasagain Total Merchandise. Ross Promotional wonthe £1m to £3m category, and Big Bear took the honours in theUnder £1m category.

In theSupplier Categories thefirst place went to XD Connect winning Major Wholesaler of theYear, and winners of Specialist Supplier of theYear were Pinpoint Badges.

business and machinerytoenhance our offering to customers. This investment will allowustocontinue to deliverhighqualityproducts and services while also expanding our capabilities.”

The PenWarehouse and Snap Products arealso committed to sustainabilityand theenvironment. Bothare constantly researching and implementing changes to reduce theircarbon footprint and maketheir production processes more sustainable.

The investment is asignificant step for thecompany, as it lookstoexpand its product range and branding methods, as well as streamline its processes.

Other developments in thenear future include abrand-new drinkware-specific printing method and faster printing techniques to ensurelead times remain industry-beating.

PAPER OVER

This month’sedition is all about sustainability. At Direct Route AccountAssyst, we pride ourselves on being pioneers within our industry, while also being innovators in service and paperless solutions, fornot only our clients but also from thewider standpoint.

Take forexample our AccountAssyst portal. Designed withsustainabilityinmind, the customer portal is completely paper-less and offers a computerised system and process forthe incorporation of new customer accounts, online credit checking functions and abrand-new innovation of additional customer personal guarantees… all done electronically of course.

Often clients engage with Direct RouteAccountAssyst simply because their manual administration is alittle stretched and so they are carrying araft of ‘paper this and paper that’whichforms their account opening process.

GOODBYE FORMS

Account Assyst instantly does away withthe necessity to carry paper forms.

This means there’sno moreworrying… is this form completed? Is that form signed? Is that application form legible? No morehavingtodig outacredit application form to ensureall of thecontent matches up withanew order and no morelaborious re-checking as to whether a customer’s creditratingmatches theproposed purchase.

Direct RouteAccountAssyst worksinacompletely automated and autonomous way, ensuring that allcustomer information is stored safely on asecureserverthatcan be quicklyaccessed and updated at atouchofaclient button.

REAL TIME DATA

As information is stored in real time, alerts to changes

in acustomer’s credit ratings areinstantly relayedinone daily email, ensuring that any decisions made on upcoming purchase orders can be made withthe correctand true facts of acustomer’s liquiditytohand.

All users can also consistently checkwhether thecustomer could be receiving alarger credit value. If they areworthy of an increase, then consider sending them a‘customer account review form’byemail withaviewtoextending their credit limit. Your customer will appreciatethe vote of confidence and mayeven providefurther larger orders.

However, if thecustomer is not worthy of an increase in credit, what actions are youtaking to protect yourself on theseincreased orders?

Here is whereaCredit Guarantee (Director’s Personal Guarantee or PG) can help.A Credit Guarantee provides a little bit moreprotectionand securityagainst acredit risk and allows afurther avenue of pursuit should thecustomer’s business encounter atricky financial time in thefuture.

CREDIT WHERE IT’SDUE

The new and improved Direct RouteAccountAssyst package can help youwithinstantly securing Credit Guarantees on theoccasions youmay need them,anadditional featurethatweknowmay well become essential during thenext12months.

Running abusiness is an ever-changing scene, customer details can change, owners of abusiness can change and thelimitsand accounts that business is worthcan change.

What doesn’t change is Direct RouteAccountAssyst’s abilitytocope withany new account information that you, our client, requires to keep your businesses on track.

All businesses should have one eyeonthe futureand how we can affect same, not only forourselves but forothers. We

at Account Assyst areconfident that we’realready on that road and we shall continue to laythe tracks forour clients to follow

If youare not aBPMA Member it might even be worthyou considering joining so that youcan access benefit solutions suchasours. Of course, youdonot need to be aBPMAMembertoutilise the Direct RouteAccountAssyst service, it is simply that the BPMA Membership benefit package provides inclusive AccountAssyst units annually, providing amajor return of investment to many Members year in year out.

MikeCollins is managing director of Account Assyst

Local Support

Contact Details

Please contact amember of our local support team for advice on any matter related to debt and credit management

London and South

David Barker dbarker@directroute.co.uk 07766545871

Midlands and East Anglia

KenBrown kbrown@directroute.co.uk 07795214426

Wales and North West

Ian Jenkinson ijenkinson@directroute.co.uk 07860 197476

North East,Scotland andNorthern Ireland

MikeCollins mike@accountassyst.com 07866 427363

Automated systems can cut down on the paper mountain and make your credit systems more effective, says Mike Collins

BPMA appointsvicechair andco-opts newblood forthe Board

The BPMA has announced well respected BoardDirector,Clive Allcott of Direct Textiles +Bags Europe, has been appointed as Vice Chair to support Chair HaydnWilletts.

In line withBoard plans, theBPMAhas also co-opted Jules Adam of WCM+A and RichardSullivanofNavillus to join theBoard withimmediateeffect.

Delighted withthe appointments, Willetts said: “Clive has agreat track recordwiththe Board, already responsible forour Charter programme on theBoard bringing about significant change forCharter members. His appointment as Vice Chair represents the next steps in development forthe BPMA. We also welcome new bloodinthe form of two new talented business owners, Jules Adam and RichardSullivan, coopted to theBoard to bring fresh skills and vision to our progressive plans.”

Announcing themovesatthe BPMA’s first International Women’s Dayon8 March,the news wasmet withapplause from assembled members. Supporting theevent, Clive Allcott, Jules Adam and RichardSullivanwerecongratulated by attendees.

Jules Adam also took part in aseries of panels also featuring fellowBoard members BPMA President Angela Wagstaff,Board Directors Helen Brennan and Melissa Chevin during theevent.

PLANNING FORTHE FUTURE

Jules Adam said: “I am delighted to be joining theBPMABoard at this exciting

andincredibly important time forour industry. Ithoroughly enjoyedmyfirst Boardmeeting and wasimpressed with thelevel of dedication and theamazing plans theBPMABoard areputting together forthe future.”

RichardSullivanadded:“I’mhonoured to be invited to join our dynamic BPMA boardand very much lookingforward to giving something back to theindustry that has supported me forover30years.”

CEO Carey Trevill explained thecoopting would be made official at the AGMthis November

“It’simportant to bring skills intoa boardatoptimum times and withkey

planning forthe next two years, this wasthe perfect timing to bring Jules and Richardonboard withtheir wealth of experience, and withClive taking up Vice Chair supporting Haydn, we’reall set forprogress,” she said.

The BPMA also recently added to the executive team with theappointment earlier in FebruaryofSarah Connor as Events &Training Manager and Sarah Irwin as Membership Executive, supporting TomRobey as Membership Director

The BPMA will hold its AGMin November 2023 and is open to all BPMA members.

BPMA launches sustainability conferencefor June 2023

The BPMA has nowlaunched its SustainabilityConference as amember only event on 8June2023, taking place at theprestigious Crowne Plaza in Marlow. The Conference celebrates theofficial launchofthe BPMA’s StepForward Pledge withworkshops and speakers aimed at helping everymemberbusiness on their sustainable journey

Attendees will be welcomed intoa networking breakfast to fuel theday before theconference starts, focusing on the StepForward Pledge and thebusinesscase to sign up.Followedbyworkshops and speakers, attendees can enjoylunchbefore reconvening forinspirational speakers on thethree ESG goals theBPMAisfocussed on –Products, People and Planet.

WHO SHOULDATTEND?

The Conference is open to all BPMA members and is perfect foranyone interested in learning moreabout the sustainable futureofthe industry, fortheir business, already in asustainability focused role, business owners, commercial and sales, through to anyone handling dayto daybusinessneeding agreater knowledge.

DEEP DIVE INTOSUSTAINABILITY AND OUR INDUSTRY

The BPMA has stated speakers arefocussed on ESG elements and will covertopics from selling sustainably,togreen washing through to building sustainable policies. Tickets arenow available to bookand eachmember ticketincludes awelcome breakfast, lunch, all dayrefreshments on tapand access to theConference. Tickets forthe event arepriced at

Golf Daydateannounced

The BPMA’s annual golf daywillbe held on the22June 2023 at the NottinghamshireGolfClub.

Following last year’s successful event, thesporting dayout will once again returnoffering an opportunitytoplaya round withindustrycolleaguesold and new

As well as being achance forplayers of everylevel to have some fun and

network,therewillbeprizes on offer for arange of activities, including nearest thepins, longest drive andlotsmore.

It’salwaysgreat fun so don’t delay and bookyour placetoday. Bookings areaccepted forteams of four and individuals who will be assigned ateam forthe day.

The daystarts withcoffee or teaand baconbutties beforeamorning teeoff on theChampionship Course for9holes. After lunch, teams take on the SignatureCoursefor 18 holes, beforean eveningmeal withawards.

Hotelaccommodation is locally available.

Sponsorship forthisevent is also open. Please contact TomRobey formore information on theoptions available at tom@bpma.co.uk. More details at bpma.co.uk

£100+VAT formembers and £95+VAT for Charter members.

Booking forthe Conference is now open. Members can use thebooking form on theBPMAwebsitetosecuretheir places and select theappropriateticket type. Moredetails at bpma.co.uk.

BPMA CALENDAR

8June

SustainabilityConference, Marlow

22 June

BPMA Golf Day, Cotgrave, Nottingham

13 September

Merchandise World, Milton Keynes

29-30November

B2B Marketing Expo,Excel, London 2024

9-11 January

PSI, Dusseldorf

24-25 January

Merchandise World, Coventry

24 January

BPMA Annual Awards Dinner, Coventry

7March

International Women’s Daylunch

13 March

Haptica Live,Bonn

Nottinghamshire, NG12 3HB

MEETINGTHE

The BPMA Membershipteam has hadabusycoupleofmonths visiting members andattending events. Sarah Irwinjoined the association in Februaryand herintroduction to thesector of promotional merchandise has been ongoing since then Product Media caughtupwithher latest moves.

HAVE YOU VISITED ANY BPMA MEMBERS YET?

We went to Pooletovisit supplier member, Laser Crystal. The primaryfocus of thevisit was to experience engravingofaparticular trophy, from theAnnual Awards Dinner whichwas the first BPMA event Iattended. It wasa fantastic opportunitytosee theprocess from start to finish, engravingAndrew Hill’sname on to his IndustryRecognition Awards, whichhelater collected from theBPMAoffices.

Iwas shown howquicklythe design team wasabletocreatewording that went on theaward.Iwas then shown theprocess of engravingthe name. It wasincredible to witness thespeed and precision of thedesign. We also

had thechance to see some of Laser Crystal's most intricatedesigns. Afavouriteofmine would have to be thelifesize3DStarbucks drink.

WHERE ELSE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Whilst in Poole, we also took theopportunity to visit one of our newest members, The FunkyPeach. Their headquarters wasfull of lifeincluding apingpong tableinthe centre of theoffice. Sales director DanGriggs showed us theprinting and embroideryworkshop including some of thenewest machinerywhich allows thebusiness to print larger quantities of garments in ashorter time frame. The Funky Peachisexpanding its already thriving business model to become distributors of promotional merchandise and expand its client offering.

HAVE YOU BEEN ABLETOATTEND BPMA EVENTS?

The first event Iattended wasMerchandise WorldatCoventryinJanuaryand The BPMA Annual Awards. I’mgladtohavehad thechance to witness thesector coming together fornot only an exhibition but equally aprestigious awards event. Next Annual Awards, I’ll be involvedinthe lead up withthe rest of theteam.

The BPMA International Women’s Day

lunchinMarch wasalsoa great success. An opportunitytomeetmanyIhad been emailing or on thephone to and to truly take part in such an important event. It wassucha successful and constructive event that we areadding thelunch to our annual events calendar,sokeep an eye on theBPMAEvents page.

Withmeetings and events scheduled up and down thecountryinthe weeksand months to come, Iamlooking forwardtogetting out on theroadmoretomeetour members. Letmyself or theteam knowifyou requireasitevisit to covermember benefits and we canschedule this in Contact Sarah on sarah.irwin@bpma.co.uk.

Acquainting yourself with asector is the best way to bring yourself up to speed with its needs, as the BPMA’s new membership executive found