A trio of sessions as part of the “Sustainability Power Hour” at The ASI Power Summit were united by a common theme: the power of sustainability to affect good by making it a core part of a thriving and successful business.

“Sustainability is simple, [but] it’s not easy,” said Kathy Cheng, president of Redwood Classics Apparel (asi/81627). “If you have that mindset to look at it from a business perspective and make it a business case, I think you’ll find much more sustainable practices within your operations before you even know it.”

ASI Media Executive Editor Theresa Hegel (left) moderated a trio of sustainability panels, the last of which included (from left to right) Kathy Cheng, president of Redwood Classics Apparel (asi/81627); Andy Keller, CEO/founder of ChicoBag (asi/44811); and Sue Lewandowski, managing director of BEL Promo (asi/39552).

The beginning of the last session examined green movement myths. Moderator Theresa Hegel, an ASI Media executive editor, brought up the recent directive from Salesforce that dissuaded vendors from giving away swag at the company’s Dreamforce conference, while urging exhibitors to be thoughtful about merch they made provide. The directive leans into the perception that promo is just frivolous giveaways.

“We have to own it,” said Andy Keller, a member of the Promo for the Planet advisory board and CEO/founder of ChicoBag (asi/44811), a B Corp. “There are still trinkets and trash that are being thrown out. What Salesforce is doing is going to be the beginning. There’s going to be a movement, and as an industry, we need to respond and adjust to those concerns.”

There are a number of things that promo companies can do, including choosing the best product for the event that’s going to ensure longevity and impress recipients.

“It’s all about communication,” said Sue Lewandowski, managing director of BEL Promo (asi/39552). “It’s about having a conversation and finding out what it’s going to be used for. What do you want out of it? That’s the bottom line instead of just picking a product and giving it. Let’s talk about it. What does this mean to you and what are you trying to accomplish? Once you do that, you can gear your product based on that.”

Final round! Kathy Cheng, Andy Keller and Sue Lewandowski on Sustainability myths. Cheng: "Can we be sustainable and achieve our goals? The answer is yes." #ASIPowerSummit pic.twitter.com/FDcK7jcq37

— C.J. Mittica (@CJ_ASIMedia) October 23, 2023

The panel debunked several myths, such as the idea that something organic is sustainable, or that profit and sustainability have to be diametrically opposed. “You need profit in order to run a business,” said Cheng. “And you can’t do good without profit.” Panelists also urged attendees to take ownership of what the end of life for products looks like, and to work together to devise the best solutions.

The Circular Economy

In the second session, Everywhere Apparel (asi/53059) co-founder Irys Kornbluth and Circular Fashion LA CEO/founder Karri Ann Frerichs tackled fast fashion and how to become part of the circular economy, which is a paradigm shift where products are repurposed into new products so that nothing ends up in a landfill.

“I wouldn’t underestimate the impact you can have from a T-shirt alone,” said Kornbluth, whose apparel is made with 100% recycled cotton and features QR code tags that offer information on how to recycle the garments. “Buying 500 recycled cotton T-shirts actually saves hundreds of thousands of gallons of fresh water. These are all amazing statistics that you can roll up into sustainability reporting, and these days every single corporation has major sustainability goals they’re trying to hit.”

The second session in the Sustainability Power Hour included Irys Kornbluth (center), co-founder of Everywhere Apparel (asi/53059), and Karri Ann Frerichs (right), co-founder/CEO of Circular Fashion LA.

Frerichs said that while recycling is an important final step, other ideas are just as important: reuse, repair and repurpose. She cited the example of a shirt with a stain that won’t wash away. Most people would just trash the shirt. “There’s nothing else wrong with that shirt except one tiny imperfection,” said Frerichs, whose company offers subscriptions that include taking unwanted clothes. “So what we would do is add a fun, fresh re-dye to it, and the stain isn’t gone, but it’s hidden. And now you have this fabulous, unique-to-you item.”

Profit, People & Planet

The first session of the hour discussed the triple bottom line (Profit, People and Planet) and how to put metrics to it. It goes beyond the obvious measurements such as water saved or waste diverted to also encompass things like sales and employee turnover.

“You can’t just stick an eco label on a product and call yourself a ‘green’ company,” said Ben Grossman, the founder and co-president of Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205) and SwagCycle, a service that helps brands deal with their obsolete and unwanted promotional products in an ethical and sustainable way. “It has to cut across all facets of the organization.”

The first session featured Ben Grossman (center), the founder and co-president of Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205) and SwagCycle, as well as Jamie McCabe (right), president of McCabe Promotional Advertising (asi/264901).

Jamie McCabe, president of McCabe Promotional Advertising (asi/264901), discussed the distributor’s journey to becoming a B Corp, which took about a year. “I believe you have to establish trust before you start conducting business, and B Corp is an accelerant of that trust,” he said.

When asked what suppliers can do to help distributors with sustainability, Grossman mentioned traceability of eco claims that are verified by third-party organizations. “That will really help us from a distributor selling perspective,” said Grossman, Counselor’s 2022 Bess Cohn Humanitarian of the Year. “When we’re talking about sustainability, it’s not just that we’re saying it but that this third-party authority is verifying it.”

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