Giving away merchandise without polluting: the eco-friendly guide

Promotional giveaways have a bad reputation, and often deservedly so: mass-produced on the other side of the world, handed out without counting, thrown away straight after. And yet, giving an object remains an effective and likeable way to stick in people’s minds. It all depends on how you do it. Here are four criteria for choosing a giveaway you will not have to apologise for.

1. The material

First reflex: look at what it is made of. A cheap petroleum-plastic object is the bottom of the class. Favour renewable or recycled materials: wood, card, durable textile, or bio-sourced PLA for 3D-printed objects, a material made from plant resources rather than oil.

2. The origin

An “eco-friendly” giveaway made 10,000 km away and shipped by container loses a good deal of its point along the way. Local manufacturing cuts the transport footprint, and it has a bonus: someone you can reach, short lead times, and a genuine argument for your communications (“made near us”).

3. Usefulness

The question that settles 80% of the problem: will the person keep it? A useful object, a keyring, something for everyday use, something well made, stays. A gadget with no purpose ends up in the bin, and your logo with it. A discarded giveaway is not just waste: it is a lost investment.

4. The right quantity

This is the most underrated criterion. Ordering 2,000 pieces “because that was the minimum” and throwing half of them away is the worst scenario, both environmentally and financially. Making to order lets you order exactly what you need, for a trade show, a season, an event, with no phantom stock.

The right combination

Bring all four together and you get a giveaway that stands up: a bio-sourced material, made locally, a useful object, produced in the right quantity. That is precisely what 3D printing to order allows.

At Filon Médoc, our objects are printed in bio-sourced PLA, to order, in our workshop in the Médoc, from just 50 pieces, with no absurd minimum. You talk about your values with an object that genuinely embodies them, instead of contradicting them.

To see our work and our prices, head to the custom keyrings page, with a free mockup before you commit.