Autumn is peak season for exhibitions, open days and launch events. Prospective customers are venturing out to face-to-face events, looking for suppliers that align with their values. Increasingly, that means companies that prioritise sustainability.

An impactful way to quickly connect at face-to-face events is to offer a freebie (and who doesn’t love a freebie?). This small act of generosity that can also show big brand personality. Free merchandise will invariably be taken home, or back to the office, as handy reminder of your brand.

If your business or charity is exhibiting this year, you may feel something ‘eco’ and more innovative feels appropriate? Your instinct for your client is probably right. While many UK buyers do not yet have sustainability targets in place, almost two thirds (63%) are expecting to maintain or increase their investment in sustainability and sustainable procurement in 2025.*

A Whitehall we are passionate about eco-products, so we’ve put together a list of the most popular and sustainable merchandise we supply. With so many plastic alternatives now available, there’s really no reason to order virgin plastics for your next event!

In fact, endless use of disposable and unsustainable products could potentially embarrass your brand in front of savvy consumers.  So, here’s our top 5 gifts to win at sustainable merchandising.

1. Totally natural Tote Bags:

With all major supermarkets dropping plastic bags, bags-for-life are arguably the most useful re-usable gift of our times. A quality tote bag is ideal for carrying items around an exhibition and beyond, providing lasting brand exposure. Whilst organic cotton reduces water waste and pesticide pollution, jute and bamboo are fast-growing using less water. Jute bags also last longer and are more readily biodegradable.

Link:    https://whitehallmerch.co.uk/biodegradable-jute-starch-bag-sc00462398

Average prices based on 100: from £1.49 to £2.99

However, the most recyclable and biodegradable gift bags are made of good old-fashioned paper. Pulp forests create huge afforestation (new tree planting) and, without laminations, paper bags can be recycled up to seven times. For single-day and retail use, paper bags are a highly sustainable option.

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/printed-recyclable-paper-bag-sc00477311

Average prices from 39p based on 1000.

2. Branded Pens & Pencils:

Pens and pencils are a classic giveaway and ideal on a limited budget. Opt for recycled plastic pens or go for something fully biodegradable such as corn starch. At a recent exhibition we gave away pencils made from recycled newspapers, which went down really well. These are available in 7 vibrant colours to suit most brands and are a great talking point.

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/recycled-newspaper-pencil-sc00442820

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/paper-corn-pla-ball-pen-in-green-sc00138337

We also stock cardboard pens made from recycled milk cartons!

https://whitehallmerch.co.uk/milk-carton-paper-ball-pen-in-green-sc00462933

Use photo of our green pencils

3. Luxury Water Bottles & Coffee Cups:

A practical item for staying hydrated at the event and beyond, drinks containers offer long-term visibility for your brand. Reusable metal thermal cups are currently trending as people move away from plastic and the concerns around micro-plastics. Our range of recycled and recyclable steel range are a quality gift that have high durability. We see these working particularly well for gyms, solicitors and travel companies. There are also some stylish bamboo combinations available.

Recylable steel tumblers from £8.99:

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/mood-double-walled-coffee-cup-tumbler-330ml-orange-clear-transparent-lid-sc00491068

Recycled steel and bamboo thermos cup from £14.99:

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/kobe-bamboo-rcs-recycled-steel-350-ml-coffee-cup-in-white-sc00480285

4. Power Banks & Chargers:

In today's digital age, power banks are highly sought after, especially with the younger generations. They are super useful on commutes and will keep your brand visible for several years. Again, there are plastic-free alternatives available, such as our bamboo and wheat straw, that can be engraved or over-printed with your logo.

Bamboo cordless charger £5.99

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/bamboo-cordless-charger-15w-sc00460459

Bamboo power bank at £8.99.

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/cordless-power-bank-in-bamboo-in-brown-sc00405138

Sustainable wheat straw power bank £14.99

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/power-bank-shiden-sc00401746

5. Lanyards & Name Badges

Ordered in their thousands each year, many lanyards are made from single-use plastics, that sadly end up in landfill. However, there are wide range of alternatives such as plant silk, bamboo fibre and even cork ribbon lanyards.

Cork lanyards will shout “sustainability” to your visitors and are fully biodegradable when your event is over, available from just 39p per lanyard.

https://whitehallmerch.co.uk/cork-lanyards-sc00460525

With most lanyards ending up in landfill, could you even produce a re-usable necklace and simply swap out your guest names at each event?

We offer beautiful Kraft cardboard badges and even chalkboard surfaces for re-usable, writeable name badges.

https://www.whitehallmerch.co.uk/kraft-paper-card-holder-sc00455933

And don’t forget to take your core print products to the event, ideally printed on FSC-certified or recycled stocks. Top tip: Adding a QR code to your print will make it easier for your prospect to contact you and will allow you to directly measure your print’s value.

Navigating eco choice

Choosing between the various categories of sustainable ‘eco’ products can be quite daunting. Our dedicated merch website allows clients to choose between categories such as biodegradable, organic, vegan, re-useable and recycled.  It’s difficult to assess the complete impact of a product so it’s always worth deciding which of the categories is most important to your brand. For example, an Ad agency may look for a quirky an imaginative recycled product, whereas a manufacturer may be more interested in quality and re-useability.

And do feel free to ask us if there is a biodegradable, recyclable paper alternative available - you may be surprised!  Paper is, after all, the worlds most recycled product.

Give Whitehall Printing call for catalogue of options and merch advice for your next event or search www.whitehallmerch.co.uk  and select ‘eco’ filters.

Prices may not include cost for decoration, setup, freight, or VAT.

For a detailed quote based on your desired quantity, send a request to enquiries@whitehallprinting.co.uk. 

• Twosides
• Research by Accenture found that 80% of B2B buyers have switched from suppliers who were unable to align their services with buyer expectations.