Are Recycled Or Biodegradable Promotional Products a Better Choice?

So you’ve decided that you want to “go green” with your promotional products such as imprinted pens and mugs. Let’s say you’ve narrowed it down to two choices: one is a recycled product and the other is biodegradable. How do you decide which one is better for the environment?

Recycled – If you select a recycled product, you help reduce the amount of new material that must be manufactured or processed. There are two types of recycled material: pre-consumer and post-consumer. Pre-consumer uses waste material from manufacturing operations. While it reduces new material demand, it really is only one step away from brand new material. Conversely, post-consumer uses material that has been used at least once by a consumer, either commercial or individual, and has been recovered from the waste stream. Post-consumer is the preferred recycled choice since it reduces the volume of new material being manufactured and helps reduce the volume of waste products in landfills.

Biodegradable – Biodegradable products are designed to safely degrade into earth-friendly substances when deposited into landfills or composting operations. Use of these materials also helps reduce landfill volume.

So both are excellent choices for the environment. However, of the two, post-consumer recycled material would usually be the first preferred choice because it helps reduce both new materials being manufactured and landfill volume. Biodegradable products, while safer for the earth, require new material to constantly be manufactured which expends more energy and resources.

Another consideration which may affect your choice is how your intended recipients would likely use and dispose of the product. If the product has a short lifespan and recipients will likely toss the product in the regular trash without regard for its ability to be recycled, then biodegradable is the more earth-friendly promotional product choice.

Your final decision will not be a standard preference for either recycled or biodegradable. It will be a choice based on the circumstances of your marketing situation.