Are you tired of hosting mundane corporate events? It's time to make them successful and environmentally conscious! In today's world, where everyone is aware of the impact on the environment, integrating responsible practices into your corporate gatherings can be a game-changer. Not only can it demonstrate your company's commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, but it can also enhance your reputation and attract new customers. So, let's begin and make your next event a success! Here are 9 creative ways to make your event gifting sustainable.
1. Customized Corporate Gifts:
Corporate gifts that are customized with a company's logo are effective tools for brand representation, so why not ensure they’re also great for the planet? According to Forbes, companies “must think carefully about how their strategy reflects (company) values and how it can support sustainability commitments.” Businesses like Good Earth Gifting provide a range of white-label products like reusable water bottles, bamboo cloth wipes, plantable pencils, and walnut coaster sets that can be customized with your company’s logo - and are great ideas for corporate gifts.
2. Gourmet Foodie Gifts:
Whether in-person or virtual, food is a universal and functional gift that can be a great way to show appreciation to guests at events. This survey shows that Canadians have shifted their focus to food and beverage, in anticipation of more in-person gatherings, with the top categories being food, alcohol, candies, or sweets. Traditional Brazilian confections from Mary’s Brigadeiro, which come in a reusable tin can, and wrapped in satin Furoshiki - a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that can be repurposed as a scarf, headband, or wrapper - are handcrafted with pure, fair trade chocolate and local ingredients from the community.
How about creating a gastronomic adventure for your attendees? Board on the Six’s lush grazing tables and Montreal-based Société Grazing's grazing boxes are perfect showstoppers, hand-assembled with locally-sourced ingredients and products in biodegradable packaging.
Whether it's a box of snacks, or a selection of artisanal products, incorporating food gifts into corporate events can create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that encourages guests to connect and engage with each other. Moreover, by focusing on organic and fair trade food products, this allows small brands to incorporate eco-friendly practices into their food to grow and expand their customer base.
3. Travel Essentials:
With attendees coming from different parts of the country or from all over the world, travel essentials can be particularly important gifts at corporate events. Guests will appreciate these efficient storage solutions for easy transportation of their personal belongings to and from their destinations.
Travel items in and of themselves are how Canadian-based Keepsie Kits is a one-stop shop for essential, lightweight, and compact products, including toiletries, cutlery sets, and refillable travel bottles. Their sustainability pillars demonstrate their mission to support zero-waste travel. Similarly, Good Earth Gifting’s On The Go and Dapper gift boxes come with cotton tote and drawstring bags, water bottles, and grooming essentials that are small enough to be easily stored as carry-ons. Cotton tote and drawstring bags also support sustainable principles by preventing waste and the continued use of harmful plastics.
Providing guests, from techies to wellness enthusiasts with practical and useful items can help ensure their comfort and convenience while travelling to the event, as well as, mitigate their environmental impact. Not looking for tangible giveaways? Why not gift your attendees a unique experience instead?
4. Branded Sports Gear:
Providing branded sports gear to event attendees allows companies to demonstrate their commitment to promoting wellness and a healthy work-life balance, by encouraging an active lifestyle. This creates an environment where attendees feel encouraged to take care of their health, leading to a happier and more productive workforce.
Many companies operate in niche markets, so products can be chosen based on the sports activities you know your attendees tend to participate in. For example, the Canadian co-operative, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), focuses on producing eco-friendly sports gear for hiking and mountaineering, made using a variety of sustainable materials such as recycled polyester, organic cotton, and hemp, while companies like Scoria World create yoga equipment and accessories made from sustainably-harvested cork and organic cotton.
Vancouver-based Biodegradable Golf Balls have created non-toxic golf balls that dissolve in water. With an estimated 100,000 golf balls lost in coastal California resorts annually, they are perfect alternatives for a guilt-free day at the driving range! Good Earth Gifting offers Custom Branding with your company’s logo on these must-haves, attracting environmentally conscious attendees and showcasing your commitment to sustainability.
5. Gifting Suite:
Whether a small-scale get-together or a large annual conference, events are a huge part of a company’s corporate relations strategic plan. These provide ideal opportunities to build relationships, enhance company culture and convey a clear message - and thanking your guests for their attendance and participation is a must! With a recent survey showing that 68% of those polled would rather choose their own gift, creating a unique and more engaging way for your attendees to select their preference is a no-brainer.
Companies like Good Earth Gifting enhance your event’s vision by designing a curated gifting suite experience, where recipients can choose from a variety of eco-friendly products from local, Canadian brands. Offering choices from popular items like soy wax candles, hand-carved whisky stones, and reusable tea bags, is a sustainable way to show appreciation and makes for a more memorable gifting experience for your guests.
6. Onsite Branded and Personalized Gifts:
Tired of boring company swag? Offering onsite branding experiences where attendees can customize products with their name, is a creative way to add another aspect to event gifting. Mississauga-based Roessein Art specializes in bespoke live services, including calligraphy, engraving, bottle painting, and illustrations, perfect for adding a touch of class and exclusivity to your next event. On-the-spot customization allows for on-demand production of items, reducing waste and ensuring the attendees only receive what they want. Create a fun and interactive experience for your guests to increase engagement, and create a more positive and memorable impression of the event and the company.
7. Seed Paper Stationery:
Want a way for attendees to keep and take home your promotional brochures? Switch up your traditional stationery and print them on seed paper - made from recycled paper pulp and contains seeds that can be planted after use. As more and more companies focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility, seed paper is becoming an increasingly popular choice for corporate events. Brands like Botanical Paperworks provide all kinds of seed paper solutions, including invitations, notebooks, and greeting cards, which are small but powerful tools that contribute to the event’s overall message and purpose.
Good Earth Gifting offers custom packaging, including flat cards, gift tags, sticker labels, and wrapping tissue, making your gifts truly stand out. These sustainable alternatives eliminate waste that often ends up in landfills and provides a meaningful, long-lasting, and interactive way for attendees to engage with the event’s promotional materials.
8. Indoor Plants or Succulents:
A healthy environment is vital to a person’s well-being, and indoor plants contribute to it more than you might think. Not only do these enhance the overall appearance of a space, but NASA did a study (in the late ’80s) on plant abilities to purify the air, enhance moods, increase creativity, and reduce stress levels. Since then, further research on the positive effects of indoor plants and succulents has proven NASA's study to be accurate, therefore offering these at your event can increase engagement while fostering a positive atmosphere.
Ecostems, a sustainable flower shop located in downtown Toronto, and Manitoba’s Sage Garden Greenhouse offer a selection of locally-grown air-purifying plants, which reduce air pollution. Providing attendees with customized corporate logo office plants or succulents is therefore a worthwhile investment, not only for a change of scenery in the workplace but also to increase employees’ productivity.
9. Office Pop-Ups:
Hosting the event at your office can be an effective way to promote sustainable practices that align with your company’s goals. Reducing the need to commute to off-site locations can minimize carbon emissions and save on travel costs. Want to take it to the next level? Invite local vendors to set up shop!
Through sustainable gift options from Canadian businesses, Good Earth Gifting's Office Pop-Up allows attendees to see your company's Corporate Social Responsibility efforts firsthand, promote community engagement and support the local economy. Office Pop-Ups’ main functions include supporting local businesses, revenue sharing, promoting your company’s green efforts, and helping boost employee morale.
A study by Cone Communications found that 80% of consumers are more likely to buy a product that adheres to corporate social responsibility. Similarly, a Retail Council of Canada survey shows that "supporting local retailers continues to be important to Canadians” and that “74% feel it is important to shop locally, and 42% plan to shop at local retailers this year.” This suggests that attendees are more likely to engage with corporate gatherings that offer sustainable gifts, as they perceive them as more valuable and aligned with their personal values. This positive association can translate into increased engagement with the occasion itself, as well as greater brand loyalty for the company hosting.
In conclusion, hosting eco-friendly corporate events is a great way for companies to showcase their dedication to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and build their reputation while attracting new customers. By incorporating any one of the 9 methods we have outlined in this post, companies can express their appreciation for attendees while promoting sustainable gifting practices at events. These approaches will reduce waste and minimize your carbon footprint while simultaneously growing your customer base.
If you want to better align yourself with your organization’s green initiative, be sure to contact Good Earth Gifting for eco-friendly promotional products and event gifting solutions. Want more gifting practices you can implement in your business? We have more tips here.
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