Today, people care about sustainability more than ever before. This is according to PwC’s latest Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey, in which more than half of respondents say they’re more eco-friendly now than they were six months ago.
As we all seek to contribute to a healthier planet, forward-thinking charities are doing their part by incorporating more eco-friendly merchandise options. At Rocket Charities, we pride ourselves on offering innovative, sustainable merchandise that is better for the environment. Here, we highlight some simple swaps that you can make with our most popular merchandise to ensure your 2022 fundraising efforts are good for both your charity and our planet.
Charity Badges: Small Size, Big Impact
Charity badges may be small in size, but they’re a big hit with supporters—charity badges are practical, popular, cost-effective, and highly versatile. We’ve had clients use these for giveaways, at charitable races, as part of large-scale campaigns and even for things like weddings and retail or point-of-sale campaigns. Charity badges are affordable to design and manufacture, yet they carry a high perceived value among recipients.
Consider our recycled plastic badges, which are made right here in the UK from recycled materials to boost our local economy and reduce the overall carbon footprint. You don’t have to swap sustainability for style—these recycled plastic badges are digitally printed in full colour, including the edges (which makes it look exactly like a classic button badge).
Another earth-friendly option is a Bioplastic badge, which is among one of the most eco-friendly products available. Bio-plastic badges are locally produced from corn starch, sugar cane, and castor oil, and they look stunning! For the perfect, planet-friendly packaging, you can even opt for a recycled custom backing card to complement your “green” charity badge.
Charity Keyrings: Practical and Planet-Friendly
Charity keyrings are another incredibly popular item for their practicality, price-point, and visibility. You’ve probably seen luxury fashion icons sell branded keyrings; these companies know that lower-priced options enable more people to express their style through designer accessories. Likewise, a well-designed charitable keyring can deliver extravagance and exposure, but at a much lower cost to your charity.
Consider a bespoke eco keyring, which is made locally from the same material as our Bioplastic badges (corn starch, sugar cane, and castor oil). For a quick and easy keyring, you can choose a predetermined size and mould—or you can tap into your inner fashion designer and make it completely your own with a bespoke shape.
Our eco-friendly trolley coin keyring is another highly functional favourite that is also available in Bioplastic, which is entirely biodegradable. Recipients tend to keep these trolley coin keyrings handy at all times, which gives tremendous exposure to your charity.
Charity Bracelets: A Planet-Friendly Fashion Statement
Classic silicone bracelets are a go-to item for any type of fundraiser, but have you considered a fashion-forward fabric bracelet? These bracelets are a bright, bold way to raise the visibility of your charity, with a low cost to make and high donation value. Our charity bracelets are finished off with two delicate silver or black beads, so they’re adjustable to fit any wrist. Have a lot to say? Charity bracelets can be branded on both sides to deliver your important or fun message.
Consider our new rPET bracelets which are made from recycled water bottles (rPET). We leveraged our expertise with charitable lanyards to develop this option, which is more environmentally friendly than other traditional wristbands. Even with rPET, you can still design a full colour bracelet via dye sublimation printing. It’s a unique item, which means it’s also a talking piece—supporters might enjoy showing it off to others to explain how it’s made. A win for the planet, and a win for your charity!
Charity Shoppers: Get the Word Out (and Give a Little Back)
When it comes to picking the right charity merchandise, a good rule of thumb is to think about where and how someone will use your item. Take branded shoppers as an example. Shoppers are highly functional and entirely commonplace these days among commuters, market-goers, and really everyone. Shoppers also have a large print area, which makes them an ideal choice for charities because they actually get used and seen about town, especially with well-designed and high quality bags.
Two of our favourite recycled shoppers are the Seabrook, made from 60% recycled cotton from the off-cuts of a t-shirt factory and 40% rPRET, and the Newchurch, which is made from 70% recycled cotton and 30% rPET. Using these special materials helps reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills. On top of that, if you select the Newchurch design, we’ll also give back 5% of the cost to Plastic Oceans.
Or consider a sturdy and handsome jute bag, made from a sustainable fabric and lined with wipeable, degradable plastic. As with other shoppers, our eco-friendly jute bags are available in a huge range of sizes and styles.
Event Merchandise: Thank the Planet and your Supporters
Planning a fundraising event? Don’t forget the charity merchandise! No matter if you sell your items or gift them to event participants, we know that these special branded items will make your supporters feel appreciated, engaged, and part of your charity community. We offer a range of eco-friendly versions of our most popular event merchandise, so you can thank the planet at the same time you thank your supporters.
For a charity run or walk, keep your supporters hydrated and happy with a biodegradable sports bottle, made from 100% biodegradable LDPE. Clothing is always a good choice—consider a rPET running vest or t-shirt, both made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles and designed to regulate body temperature and maximise performance in all sorts of weather. In fact, any rPET-based or recycled event wear helps reduce landfill waste and decrease our carbon footprint, especially when compared to making a virgin material counterpart.
Lastly, how about a bespoke wooden medal for your event finishers? It may sound odd, but our wooden medals are fast becoming a must-have for charitable events. They’re produced from FSC-Certified MDF and can be supplied with recycled PET ribbons to make them even more eco-friendly.
Eco-friendly consumerism is here to stay, and we think that’s a very good thing. Tap into the important trend with some of these environmentally friendly alternatives to our most popular and high-impact merchandise. Get in touch today for a FREE fundraising consultation for more planet-friendly tips and advice from the fundraising experts.