Subtle Ways to be more Earth Friendly

With Earth Day 2009 having come and gone it is now time to look forward to the intervening twelve months and more closely examine other ways we can all minimize our impact on the environment.  By now we are all aware of the benefits of switching to fluorescent light bulbs providing they do not contain mercury, the advantages of upgrading to a more fuel efficient vehicle and the obvious advantages of recycling.  What is often not discussed are the other less dramatic ways for which we can reduce our impact.

Enter several new coolers this spring that are “unleaded” unlike thousands of similar products being sold.  Most major manufacturers sell coolers with PVC lining.   PVC is simply put Polyvinyl chloride otherwise known as one of the most valuable chemical compounds worldwide in terms of revenue and sales.  PVC lined coolers are everywhere but they do have a hidden danger.  To make PVC soft and flexible companies must add either Phthalate plasticizers or in some cases even some variations of lead.  Phthalate safety is widely debated at this time but there is little doubt we are better off without it in coolers that we later store our children’s drinks within.  This spring we have introduced a series of coolers that do not contain these compounds chief among them the Compact Six Pack Cooler which not only uses the much safer PEVA lining but is a striking value.  Available in multiple colors it provides a safe alternative for your next corporate outing and one that you can actively promote.   Likewise the Sofia Cooler Tote offers extraordinary function and power of design while excluding the dangerous chemicals that may contaminate coolers from other brands.   Right now there are very few manufacturers promoting PEVA lining because so few offer it.  Because of the clear benefits it is safe to assume that if the product you are looking at does not glowingly advertise the use of non-pvc components it probably still contains those compounds.   At that point you have to weigh the value of the product versus potential dangers of use.

The Vector Tote is new to the market this April and features a sharp vector angle design that is not something commonly seen previously.  This helps as giving it to your potential or existing client likely won’t evoke the “not another one of these” type responses as it is unique.   We like the design overall and expect it to sell well heading into summer.  A little bit more modern in terms of design and flare, the Groovy Tote minimizes frontal distraction providing maximum impact for your logo or tag-line.  With very little to distract the eye and a large billboard area it presents some exciting branding opportunities particularly for those utilizing the four color process printing offered.   Both of these items are made from durable forms of polyester which provide significant weight to strength benefits and also take well to being decorated.

The economy continues to slowly push forward and with Ford recently announcing they did slightly better than expected it is clear the assurance programs being offered are bringing in sales.  As discussed in Assurance Programs and How Little We Have Learned the real question will be have we just further delayed the inevitable?  We have already begun to see the dead cat bounce with some indicators clearly pointing to the rebound we have seen in the markets being a simple bounce but as of yet whether it is a real or fools rebound remains to be seen.  With each day the market stays up one would have to believe the market has turned.  Indeed we would like to believe we are all now seeing an increase in economic activity at least for the time being.