Giving back and environmental stewardship are paramount for Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480) and its sister company IMAGEN Brands (asi/93990).

The companies recently released their 2022 Keep It. Give It. annual corporate social responsibility report, detailing more than $782,000 in donations to over 100 nonprofits in the last year. The suppliers also shared progress on their goal to become carbon-neutral on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emission by the end of 2024 and reaching affiliation status with the Fair Labor Association.

Koozie Group employees at its Clearwater, FL, location assemble backpacks full of school supplies to donate to the United Way.

Developed with input from employees, the Keep It. Give It. program launched in late 2020 and focuses on four key areas: fostering diversity, equity and inclusion; giving back to employees and community; safety and social responsibility; and environmental stewardship. The annual report recaps year-end highlights in each area and outlines Koozie Group and IMAGEN Brands’ future goals.

“It’s great to see cross-functional support for our Keep It. Give It. program,” said Pierre Montaubin, Koozie Group chief product and sustainability officer. “Last year, we met some big milestones, including exceeding our KG Factor goal over a year early. We’ve laid an excellent foundation over the last few years, and I’m excited for the next 24 months as we strive to hit our carbon-neutral and Fair Labor Association objectives.”

In addition to the $782,000 donated to nonprofits in 2022, the suppliers participated in a variety of charitable undertakings, including donating product valued at more than $400,000 for Hurricane Ian relief. The suppliers donated $10,000 to the Promotional Products Education Foundation, and 10% of sales of IMAGEN Brands’ Hey Buddy bear were donated to the National League for Nursing. Koozie Group and IMAGEN Brands donated over 2,000 backpacks full of school supplies to local United Way chapters in Minnesota and Florida last year. A portion of proceeds from IMAGEN Brands plush sales were donated to 4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit that provides service dogs to people with disabilities. Company employees also raised over $8,000 for food pantries and other local organizations.

Koozie Group and IMAGEN Brands highlighted their sustainability achievements from 2022 in their Keep It. Give It. report.

On the sustainability side, Koozie Group earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for all domestic facilities and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification for its Sleepy Eye, MN, facility, with over 450 products made with paper from certified mills. More than 1,800 products – or over 70% – of its products now carry the KG Factor designation, which identifies products whose designs lessen environmental impact through longevity. Over 1,000 products are made, printed or assembled in the U.S, which the suppliers say reduces their overall carbon footprint. And more than 100 products are made with recycled or renewable resources.

Looking forward, the suppliers are continuing work toward achieving carbon neutrality on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by the end of 2024. They’ve also started to measure Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Among the efforts to reduce emissions is undergoing EcoVadis audits to measure against United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and reach and maintain a score of 90% or above. The companies are also working on improving water use during printing and minimizing supply chain packaging to reduce their carbon footprint.

Another goal being worked toward is to stop using plastic packaging for Koozie Group acrylic drinkware, which the company says will eliminate the need for up to 1.9 million plastic bags per year.

“This is a critical time in the promotional products industry as we address the issues facing our planet,” Montaubin said. “Sustainability is important not only to our distributors and their end-users, but also to our employees and their families. We’ve made great strides already, and we have big plans to carry this progress forward to achieve even loftier goals.”

Download the full 2022 Keep It. Give It. report here.

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