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EcoPlum Sustainability Criteria
How We Choose Our Products
How do we establish sustainability standards for the promotional products we sell at EcoPlum? Since launching EcoPlum in 2008, providing transparent information and leading our customers on a journey towards more conscious buying has been an integral part of our mission.
We evaluate EcoPlum products and how they fit into a sustainability spectrum. Unlike other promotional products companies, EcoPlum offers only sustainable products. But we consider a wide range of criteria because there is no "one size fits all" approach. We use the criteria listed below. We hope this information helps our customers understand more about our products, so they can determine what is most important to them!
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Products made primarily of Organic ingredients and materials. We look for products that meet the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic certification and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) ecolabels but also rely on ingredients and materials lists. |
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Products made primarily of post consumer recycled materials or upcycled from scraps of previous products. |
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Biodegradable or compostable products are made from materials naturally broken down by microorganisms at end-of-life, instead of long lasting harmful waste that sits in our landfills and oceans. |
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Products from companies that are members of the Fair Trade Federation, Fair Trade America, the World Fair Trade Organization, or Fairtrade International. |
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Products made from renewable resources. For example, bamboo is a regenerative crop that will continue to produce for years without replanting. Hemp cleanses and replenishes the soil with nutrients, and removes CO2 from the air to store in its roots. Cork is sourced only from the tree bark, allowing the tree to continue living after harvest. |
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Products that are handmade by individual, skilled craftsmen and women using high-quality materials and ingredients, without the benefit of modern manufacturing. |
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Products that are made in the United States of America. |
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Durable products that are intended to be used over and over again and replace their single-use disposable counterparts. |
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We like to support other women owners striving for success, with products they produce here in the US, or source elsewhere, particularly in developing markets where they help raise women out of poverty. |
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Products from companies that are committed to social and environmental causes, including membership in 1% for the planet, going carbon neutral, planting trees for every sale, and other philanthropic and charitable initiatives. |
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Certified companies meeting high verified standards for social and environmental impacts, legal accountability, and public transparency for all their stakeholders, including customers, employees, community, suppliers, the environment, and investors. This company is part of a global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. |
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Reputable third party certifications and recognized labels from government entities and non governmental organizations (NGOs). These non-profit agencies and organizations make their determinations based on:
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These are many of the third party certifications we look for in selecting companies and products for our promotional items:
It all comes down to values. EcoPlum Sustainability Criteria gives you a window on our values and what we look for in products. We want to help your organization align its positive values with your purchasing decisions in the selection of sustainable corporate gifts and promotional products. On top of that, as women entrepreneurs ourselves, EcoPlum likes to support other women-owned businesses and we include that designation in our list of criteria.