Suppliers and Distributors Report Green Initiatives

Aside from selling eco-friendly products, many in the industry are doing their part to clean up their business practices. After all, if a company does nothing to reduce its energy usage or recycle within its offices, how green can they really be?

Leed’s has equipped its Warren, Ohio facility with energy-efficient lighting, movement sensors that turn off lights and energy-efficient machinery. The company uses environmentally safe inks and new screen washers, which use less chemicals and water. Leed’s is also conserving paper by mailing 45 percent fewer catalogs this year and offering online product proofs. Plus, the company, in partnership with American Forests, is planting trees for each EcoSmart imprint order.

When Tustin, Calif.-based Logomark moved into its current headquarters, executives implemented ways to keep the air cleaner, to recycle and to conserve energy. When decorating and shipping, Logomark uses green inks — in all colors! — and embroidery thread and energy-efficient machinery. Even keeping client databases up-to-date keeps the company from sending mail, literature and samples to the wrong addresses, preventing thousands of mailers from being returned, junked and trashed.

At Prime in Bridgeport, Conn., the factory and workspaces use energy-efficient lighting systems. The dyes used in manufacturing are all lead-free and Proposition-65-compliant. Used office paper is recycled and often rebound and reused as office notepads. The company has also developed Eco-Design, a system which plainly spells out what makes a product eco-responsible. "It’s important to recognize that it is these types of small steps which we all can take to make a difference for the future of our world," says Kurt Rothacker, marketing project manager.

Impact Promotional Publishing LLC is adding Eco-Impact to its line of Direct Impact sales tools. Eco-Impact is a fully functional, e-commerce Web site and catalog featuring hundreds of environmentally friendly promotional products. Featured items are made from recycled or renewable materials using production processes