Sayonara, Single-Use Plastic: Pop! Promos Ups Environmental, CSR Efforts

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The Philadelphia-based supplier announced accomplishments and future goals that are part of its sustainability and community-supporting plans.

Pop! Promos’ (asi/45657) efforts to eliminate polybags from its most popular products has reduced the Philadelphia-based supplier’s annual use of virgin plastic by more than 13,000 pounds per years.

“That’s a little more plastic removed from the environment per year than the weight of four Toyota Priuses,” the promotional products company said in a statement.

The accomplishment is among the already-achieved milestones and future goals that Pop! Promos just announced as part of new corporate social responsibility efforts, which focus on environmental sustainability and positively impacting communities.

“I’m pleased with the amount of progress we’ve made since assembling our CSR committee this past spring,” said Sterling Wilson, president of Pop! Promos. “A greater focus on environmental sustainability is something our team has been advocating for, and I’m impressed by the high level of participation we’ve gotten from team members across departments.”

Looking ahead, Pop! plans to eliminate all single-use plastic from production by 2025. Speaking of operations: As of Sept. 1, 2022, the firm’s Philadelphia headquarters runs on 100% renewable energy.

That’s not all. Pop! is participating in a Carbon Offsets initiative with delivery provider UPS. The offsets fund projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally. As a result, all the supplier’s domestic shipments are now designated as carbon neutral.

Pop! is making eco progress on products, too. The supplier intends to release five new products annually within its Eco Line, which features items made from recycled or organic materials.

It’s why he’s an active member of the Pennsylvania Regional Board for Playworks, an organization that helps children stay active and develop important life skills through play. Due to Wilson’s involvement, Pop! Promos employees routinely raise money for the program.

So far, the efforts have enabled Pop! to donate more than $18,000 to Playworks, thereby helping provide children in Philadelphia with safe, healthy spaces to learn and play.

It’s all part of Pop!’s community-focused CSR agenda. The promo product supplier has also given more than $7,000 in donations – enough to feed over 14,000 people – to Philabundance, an organization that works to relieve hunger and provide food security for communities in need in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Furthermore, Pop! organizes quarterly initiatives to support causes within its community.

This quarter, company employees raised $1,200 in funds to purchase school supplies for local teachers and students. They also donated supplies directly to a neighborhood elementary school. Previous outreach efforts have included weeding and preparing a community garden to ready the space for a farm stand, stuffing toiletry bags for homeless shelters, and holding food drives for local organizations working throughout the city.

“This is just the beginning,” Wilson said.

Pop! Promos is among the many companies on the supplier and distributor sides of the promo products industry that have been increasing sustainability and CSR efforts. ASI Media has been documenting the phenomenon through its Promo for the Planet page.

Pop! specializes in the rapid importing of full-color and Pantone-matched products, delivered between 10 to 30 days. Through its distributor partners, the firm manufactures products for more than 300 Fortune 500 companies.