Top 10 Eco-Friendly Giveaways for Earth Day: April 22

Elephant-poo notebook, bamboo dinnerware and seed paper are in hot demand

TREVOSE, Pa., March 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Advertising Specialty Institute today released its first-ever list of top 10 eco-friendly giveaways for Earth Day 2010.    

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 around the world, and more companies than ever before are using eco-friendly giveaways to promote their commitment to caring for the environment.  

Editors of Counselor magazine searched for creative giveaways in the Advertising Specialty Institute's exclusive promotional products database and found that marketers are snatching up everything from notebooks made of elephant poo to shower timers to paper embedded with wildflower seeds.      

Products made from renewable resources continue to gain momentum, including dinnerware made from bamboo.  Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet, growing up to four feet in one day, and it is 100% biodegradable.    

The top 10 eco-friendly giveaways for Earth Day 2010 are:

1.  Elephant-Poo Notebook – The ultimate recycled item, great for colleges and trade shows.  

2.  Bamboo Dinnerware – Perfect for office picnics, outdoor concert venues and fairs.

3.  Seed Paper Postcard – Ideal for environment-themed mailings and print promotions.  

4.  Shower Timer – Municipalities and utilities can promote water conservation.

5.  Recycled Tires Jar Opener – Auto dealerships and mechanics can give these to customers.  

6.  Pine Tree Seedling – Employees can participate in a tree-planting day at the office campus.

7.  Organic T-shirt – Give one to each Earth Day event organizer and volunteer.  

8.  Compostable Pens – Hotels, banks and shops can use these biodegradable pens.

9.  Nonwoven Bag – Local grocery stores can eliminate plastic and paper.

10.  Hemp-Blend Polo – Companies can use this earth-friendly shirt for summer uniforms.

To see photos of the products and purchasing information for each, and to watch a video with the editor of Counselor magazine featuring the items, visit www.asicentral.com/earthday.

"Companies are hungering for eco-friendly products to help tout their earth-friendliness to customers and employees," said Timothy M. Andrews, president and CEO of the Advertising Specialty Institute.  "In fact, these items are so popular that we now have an exclusive pavilion at our five superregional trade shows dedicated to showcasing new eco-friendly products."

Promotional products, or advertising specialties, are items imprinted with logos or slogans to market a company, organization, product, service, achievement or event.  They are frequently purchased as gifts to employees and clients for occasions year-round, and marketers often include them in their campaigns to dramatically increase response rates.  

According to an exclusive study from the Advertising Specialty Institute, end-buyers identify promotional products as the most effective medium among all advertising, next to the Internet.  In addition, the study reveals that nearly one-half, or 48%, of respondents feel that promotional products are expected to deliver a positive return on investment.  

For more information, contact Scott Fuhr, corporate communications director, at [email protected] or at 484-680-2431 (mobile).

About ASI

The Advertising Specialty Institute is the largest media and marketing organization serving the promotional products industry, with a membership of over 26,000 distributor firms (sellers) and supplier firms (manufacturers) of ad specialties.  ASI provides catalogs, information directories, newsletters, magazines, websites, databases, and e-commerce tools.  Visit asicentral.com. 

SOURCE Advertising Specialty Institute