Sustainability, the Topic of the Future

Sustainability, the Topic of the Future

PSI – The international network of the promotional products industry
PSI 2017 – Europe’s leading trade show for the promotional products industry

10 to 12 January 2017, Düsseldorf fairgrounds

7 July 2016

Sustainability, the topic of the future:

The nominees for the PSI Sustainability Awards 2016

  • 35 nominees in seven categories
  • Award presentation on 2 September 2 at Kurhaus Wiesbaden

Optimising processes, services and products, protecting the environment and creating fair working conditions: the PSI Sustainability Awards 2016 show how the promotional products industry is effectuating all this. They also show how the industry is taking its own initiative on this issue and how the promotional product can be used as a product or part of a sustainability campaign. The second PSI Sustainability Awards will be presented in eight categories at Kurhaus Wiesbaden on 2 September 2016. Sponsor is intertek, one ofthe leading global service providers forquality and safety solutions.Beforehand, all 35 nominees in the seven categories will be announced.

Promotional products with a perspective for the future

Environmentally compatible packages for organic fruit gums, textile pencils made of natural fibres and biopolymers, or FSC certified apple holders, including a knife made of domestic red beech: the sustainable product nominees illustrate especially how creative the topic of sustainability has been dealt with this year by the submissions. Even hand-made seed bombs made of earth, clay and seed, or logo loops printed and processed in a CO2 neutral manner are positive examples of how this topic of the future is being accepted on the promotional products market.

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Campaigns with a long-term message

Sustainability can not only be successfully integrated into a marketing strategy in the form of individual products, but also as part of comprehensive campaigns.This is demonstrated by the nominees in the Sustainable Campaign category. One example is a jute bag used to collect jetsam that is then used to manufacture new products in a solar-powered oven. Or silk scarves and recycled bags combating poverty in a comprehensive project and at the same time creating jobs. By the same token, there are hand-made porcelain cups to go, intended to supplant throwaway paper cups, pencils made of domestic lime wood, or a little manikin growing blades of grass as hair in order to support a foundation fighting an illness caused by a genetic defect.

“The more than 150 submissions testify to the great social, ecological, and economic commitment of the promotional products industry – and what is even more important, this commitment is growing. Promotional products are increasingly moving in the direction of becoming sustainable quality products. Sustainability is the topic of the future and the quality of this year’s submissions proves that the industry has recognised this fact. That made it that much harder for us to select this year’s nominees,” says PSI Managing Director Michael Freter. Eight experts from the areas of CSR, recycling, compliance, product safety, and the promotional products industry voted, while a scoring system gave points to the certificates submitted. Here is an overview of the nominees:

Category 1: Economic Excellence
badge4u Wojciech Pawlowski
BIC Graphic Europe S.A.
SC CHILLI IDEAS SRL
Karl Knauer KG
WALTER Medien GmbH
Category 2: Environmental Excellence
Karl Knauer KG
Schwan-STABILO Promotion Products GmbH & Co. KG
STAEDTLER MARS GmbH & Co. KG
WALTER Medien GmbH
Victorinox AG
Category 3: Social Excellence
SC CHILLI IDEAS SRL
Faber-Castell AG
Giving Europe B.V.
Halfar System GmbH
STAEDTLER MARS GmbH & Co. KG
Category 4: Environmental Initiative
elasto form KG – heat recovery system
Faber-Castell AG – in-house power generation
Jute statt Plastik e.K. – sustainability through local action
Michael Schiffer Promotion GmbH – innovation & sustainability
Victorinox AG – Foundation for Landscape Conservation
Category 5: Social Initiative
Faber-Castell AG – Faber-Castell Children's Foundation
Halfar System GmbH – employment of disabled people and refugees
Karl Knauer KG – Die Fliegerkiste – Karl Knauer takes off
STAEDTLER MARS GmbH & Co. KG – STAEDTLER Foundation & Inclusion
Victorinox AG – Time to Care
Category 6: Sustainable Product
Die Stadtgärtner – seed bombs
Kalfany Süße Werbung GmbH & Co. KG – organic fruit gums
manaomea GmbH – textile pens
Präsenta Promotion International GmbH – ‘Appleday’ apple holder
Touchmore GmbH – logoloop
Category 7: Sustainable Campaign
Green Earth Products – circular beach
IGEP S.A. – European Year for Development Campaign
jack's gift company – Gräfrath2Go – City2Go
S&P Werbeartikel GmbH – PSD charity zesped
STAEDTLER MARS GmbH & Co. KG – new PEFC regional labels with pencils

On special recommendation

This year the “Sustainable productrecommended by PSI” seal celebrates its premiere. During the jury session to evaluate sustainable products, the jury members had the opportunity to specifically select a product that they would personally recommend. Products with more than 50 per cent of jury votes receive the "recommended" seal. All "Sustainable products recommended by PSI" will be announced after the award ceremony on 2 September.

About the PSI

The PSI (Promotional Product Service Institute) has been serving the promotional products industry in Europe and its market participants for over 50 years as a service provider and contact platform. Its services support 6,000 market participants including manufacturers, importers, finishers, distributors and agencies in their daily work. Central services are personal advice and product research, marketing, training, industry contacts and solutions for online product search. These services enable the member companies to generate business and achieve sustainable profitable growth.