customgreenpromos.com Blog

The people at Customgreenpromos.com contacted me after reading Living Simply’s article about Recycled Christmas Wrap.  Their bags would certainly work nicely as reusable grocery bags or reusable shopping bags, but should be considered for year-round use as well.

They sent me some sturdy, reusable bags to try out. These bags are innovative and strong! My sense is these were constructed from the same rugged materials as outdoor grear – soft, ripstop stuff sack-wear, heavy canvas/nylon haul bag material and stitching…as an avid recycler and outdoor enthusiast, I was impressed.

I started by sampling three of the company’s most popular products:

• Reusable Grocery Bags- The bags for the supermarket  is a real boon for the reuse mentality.These nifty items are totally Earth-friendly – they are made of non woven poloypropylene. The producst are very affordable and worth it.

• Reusable Shopping Bags-  They are very practical for me. Most shopping tote bags get left at home because they are too big to carry everywhere. These bags are the perfect size.Another nice thing: if this bag gets dirty, I can toss it in a cold wash on a gentle cycle, or handwash in my kitchen sink with gentle dish soap.

  This are budget-minded reusable bags and is stylish enough for even East-Coast fashionistas (no offense meant; my New York roots go way back).

• Big Thunder Tote Bags- This tote bag is revolutionary in it’s superior sturdiness.  I’ve never seen such a sturdy bag – nothing I’ve used in the past comes close.Obviously, this is considered a premier bag.

Remember!
It’s up to all of us to keep the level of plastic bag garbage out of the landfills, and even more important – out of the stomachs of our wildlife. Animals, like deer, fish, and many birds, injest these bags and starve to death, even surrounded by nutritious food sources.

For more information, the Custom Green Promos website offers a lot of sad statistics on the amount of plastic bag refuse blowing around the world. Start with their Fast Facts. They also have a great page dedicated to how you can, in their words, “reduce the mindless consumption of single use plastic and paper bags”.

I really like that this company is working hard to become part of the solution, and I plan to give them my patronage.

BAG BUSINESS: Green entrepreneurs retool humble grocery sack

Stephanie Ashworth and Kerri Stenson just started their company this year, but already their business is in the bag.

Literally.

The Woodside women have launched a business making collapsible, reusable grocery bags that can be stashed in the cup holder of a car. They are among a number of entrepreneurs who hope to capitalize on Americans’ increasing disaffection with the disposable plastic grocery sack.

In the wake of San Francisco’s recent ban on plastic grocery bags, other jurisdictions from Los Angeles to New Jersey are considering restrictions on the use of plastic bags. And since last summer, California law has required all large supermarkets to offer reusable bags for sale.

Meanwhile, worries about climate change and marine pollution are leading more individual consumers throughout the country to answer “none of the above” when faced with the cliched choice of “Paper or plastic?”

“The market has absolutely exploded,” said Michael Wold, founder of Customgreenpromos.com, an online store that has sold a wide selection of grocery totes. “If you asked me two years ago, there were dozens of reusable bags. Now there are a hundred or more.”

Environmentalists have urged consumers to bring their own bags to the supermarket for years. But until recently, few people responded.

Those who did had limited choices – things like beach bags, hippie-looking hemp bags, or an individual’s motley collection of canvas totes accumulated through years of trade show giveaways and public radio membership drives.

But that has started to change.

Wold launched his Web business – which sells eco friendly bags and many other eco friendly promotional products.

“I wanted to get away from the tattered, really old tote bag with an in-your-face eco-message,” he said.

Others had the same idea, including a Chico software programmer named Andy Keller who two years ago started making nylon grocery bags that collapse into their own attached pouch. Keller’s venture grew out of a trip he took to his local garbage dump, shortly after being laid off from his software job.

“I got there at the end of the day, when there was an entire day’s worth of trash uncovered and exposed,” said Keller, who named his company ChicoBag. “It was huge. It took my breath away. And there were plastic bags everywhere, with birds pecking at them, or caught on the fences. I made a commitment to myself to adopt a healthier reusable bag habit. And then came the business side, when I thought, ‘I can make a business out of this.’ ”

Keller’s ChicoBags sell for about $5. Some other local bag manufacturers have a higher price point: San Franciscan Ania Moniuszko runs an online business called My Own Bag that sells grocery bags made out of interior-design fabrics for $40 to $58 each.

Ashworth and Stenson, the Woodside women who recently launched the reusable bags that fit in a cup holder, fall somewhere in the middle. Under the brand name Olive Smart, they’re selling a set of six colorful nylon bags that stuff into a pouch for $39.

Ashworth and Stenson met at their children’s playground and discovered a shared interest in starting some kind of environmentally focused business. They brainstormed about how to make it easier for people to use reusable bags.

“You always hear people in the checkout line say, ‘Oh, I left my bag in the car,’ ” Ainsworth said. “Well, what if the bags were in your face, like in the cup holder of your car? And you’d need enough bags. I have three kids, and Kerri has two. We don’t go to the store with one cute little tote.”

While companies like Custom Green Promos, ChicoBag, My Own Bag and Olive Smart have clearly identified a growing niche market, it remains unclear which of them, if any, will ultimately ride that market to success.

Wold points out that it’s not hard to get into the grocery bag business, so there’s the potential for large numbers of competitors.

“All you have to do is create a basic design, send it over to China (for production), spend $10,000 to $20,000, and you’ve got 5,000 to 10,000 bags,” he said. “The barriers to entry are almost nonexistent, while the level of sophistication of the market is rapidly advancing. So you’ve got to have a really good product that stands out and is different.”

Meanwhile, all the major supermarkets have started manufacturing and selling reusable bags with their own logos – using cheaper materials such as polypropylene and charging lower prices. Safeway, for instance, sells totes with its logo for 99 cents.

It will be challenging for small independent manufacturers to compete with those prices.

“Most supermarkets are selling them at cost or slightly below, since they view it as a marketing expense,” Wold said.

Village Market is a family-run supermarket in the upscale, environmentally conscious neighborhood of Rockridge in Oakland. Its experience with reusable bags could be a sign of things to come – at least in liberal enclaves like the Bay Area.

by Sandra Sims

When shoppers bring in their own reusable grocery bags to carry their items home in, it reduces the number of non-biodegradable plastic bags. Personally I have been wanting to get some reusable bags for some time now. I am tired of the plastic and paper bags cluttering up my garage and polluting our community (and our world in general). So when my local grocery store started offering these bright green reusable shopping bags for just 99 cents each I was delighted.

These bags are very durable, flat bottomed and can hold as much as much as 3 times what a plastic sack would. Now these bags in particular were not being sold as a fundraiser, just as a promotion for the store. In fact the grocery store offers 5 cents off when you bring them in. Not much, but it’s a nice touch.

Til now I have held off reviewing or promoting reusable bags as a fundraiser, even though there are several companies out there providing them. I believe I’ve finally found a great recommendation for you, and here’s why:

First I like to see a company who is selling a product not just make a buck but because of a driving principle. Custom Green Promos Inc. out of Cleveland,Oh impresses me as being very committed to reducing pollution. Their website http://www.customgreenpromos.com/ is professional and educational with statistics about plastic bag use and what impact green bags could have. According to them, an average person will take their shopping home in 250 plastic bags per year!

Fundraising with Reusable Grocery Bags

First to use these as a fundraiser the bags need to have attractive pricing, both the wholesale cost for the non-profit agency and a good price for the consumer. I’ve seen bags from other companies that have suggested retail of $10-20 which even for a fundraiser is a bit pricey. This high pricing will be a turn-off for some people.

A product sales fundraiser has to be something that people really want and need. The general public is becoming more and more interested in actions that will help preserve our earth. Using these bags instead of plastic or paper bags that will end up in a landfill is one of the easiest ways to do something. Retailers also have an incentive to promote these bags. If customers bring their own bags the stores save thousands of dollars per year in costs.

I talked with a customer service representative at Custom Green Promos Inc., and they said that they have sold the bags to several charities as a fundraiser. They will sell them in bulk to your group at a very affordable cost. This might not sound like a lot raised per bag but this way more people can purchase them and can get several of them. Most families will need at least 2-6 bags if they plan on using them at the grocery store.

This would be a great way for a retailer and large organization, such as a school, to partner for mutual benefit. For example, by using school colors and logo it’s a spirit item. If the store and/or other retailers put their logo on them its a publicity item. It could be a co-branded promotion where both the store and the charity logos are on the bags. The minimum order for custom imprints is 100 but they also have stock bags for those needing lower quantities without a logo.

As I mentioned each bag will only bring in a dollar or two, so you will need to set a goal for the number of bags you want to sell in order to meet a fundraising goal. Keep in mind that in addition to the funds raised you are raising awareness about your cause and providing a way for people to do something good for the environment.

The biggest drawback I can see with this project is the potential competition. Just today I was running errands and saw reusable bags on sale at two other stores in addition to the grocery where I bought mine. They were also selling for $1-2. The difference I can see though is that those stores are not actively promoting them like the grocery store was. Of course they were also not benefiting any charity.

If your organization got behind this as a big campaign then you could be quite successful with it. Just be sure to be the first and/or biggest group in your area doing this program. If several organizations and stores can partner together it would boost your chance of success.

It’s easy to see why eco friendly bags are becoming so increasingly popular with companies as well as at home. Companies want them for tradeshows and giveaways. Families want them to bring along to the market to take their groceries home. Their uses are plentiful, their affordability is great, and their look is stylish. Reusable bags are the new “it” item in terms of promotions for companies and convenience for families. They are great at marketing a company’s brand and logo which is why they are so great for any marketing campaign. Their high quality and convenience to use is why moms and families are taking them with them to the market, the library, and just about anywhere else their day takes them. Reusable grocery bags just have a habit of finding their way into homes everywhere. Another great thing about them is the fact that they can be used over and over again making them great for the environment. Don’t wait a second longer. It’s time to go purchase your very own reusable shopping bags. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Give Custom Green Promos a call today and your company will be going in the right direction with your logo on the side of our great and affordable green bags.

Eco friendly shopping bags are a sure fire way to efficiently promote your company brand or logo. It’s time for you to be a part of the movement and the solution to the problems the world is facing. The opportunity is here now to make a small change in order to have a big effect. Reusable bags give us the chance to take part in something that is very important to the safety of the planet. Custom Green Promos wants everyone to take advantage of the fact that eco friendly bags are so affordable, practical, and effective in achieving the goals we have set out for ourselves. Don’t let your next marketing campaign feature the same old ineffective advertising product. Take it up a notch this year with these outstanding reusable bags. Call them now for your free samples and see for yourself how great of a product they produce. They are very high quality and stylish reusable bags. Make sure your next marketing promotion sends the message you are looking for. You want your customers to realize that your company cares about the environment and the safety of the planet. You can be certain that you will be sending the right message with one of these products. You can hand them out at your next tradeshow, conference, or seminar. You will be certain that your brand or logo will be gaining the exposure that you need for your company.

Reusable grocery bags are great for the planet, great for the environment, and a wonderful way to promote your brand or logo by demonstrating that you care for the earth. They make for a great advertising tool because you will have your company logo imprinted on the side of them. Maybe your company has a tradeshow or you are hosting a conference and need a giveaway for all of your guests. These reusable grocery bags are the answer you are looking for. There’s no reason to search anywhere else than here. These items are unique, stylish, and great for many occasions. You have found the product that you need and it will most certainly send the message that you are looking to achieve. They are affordable and very practical so give Custom Green Promos a call now for your very own reusable grocery bags.

Reusable bags are an environmentally sound way to protect the planet we live on. Green Bags can be great looking, stylish, affordable, and just about anything you want them to be. You can bring them to the mall, to the market, or to the gym. They come in many different styles, designs, and colors. Reusable bags are great for many events and occasions. Whether you are going shopping at the market or your nearest retail outlet, or your company has an important tradeshow and in need of an amazing giveaway, your green bags will turn heads and make you the center of attention. It’s this type of attention that will give your company brand the recognition that you deserve. You will immediately be recognized as a business that keeps the safety of the planet in mind along with the know how to run an intelligent marketing campaign. This is all made happen by using these truly unique and special green bags.

Reusable Bags are to the earth what milk is to the human body. They keep the earth clean and healthy. They fuel the earth and keep it running. They prevent pollution and harmful things to the earth. Recycled Bags, although a different material than your standard reusable bags, serve the same purpose. Recycled bags manufactured by Custom Green Promos are trendy, affordable, and made of the highest quality materials. Whatever the event, occasion, or reason, you will be doing something that is good for the environment as well as mankind. Don’t you want to take part in the movement that is known as the green movement and reduce your carbon footprint? We all need to pitch in and do our part and this is your chance. It’s as simple as this. The next time you are going shopping at the grocery store, mall, market, or anywhere else, remember one thing. Bring along your recycled bags.

Eco Friendly Bags are stylish, practical, affordable, easy to carry, and above all, great for the environment. When was the last time you did something with the intentions of helping the planet we live on? It’s not every day that we put the well being of the earth at the top of our to-do list. When we go to the grocery store, of course it’s easier to use the plastic bags that they put our groceries in. Do you know what happens to them? They sit on top of landfills further adding to the pollution of society. Bring along your eco friendly bags and you will be able to prevent this waste.

Eco friendly bags are far from boring. They can be customized by companies like Custom Green Promos to meet your ideal specifications. How cool would you look walking into the grocery store with one of these great eco friendly bags featuring the colors you choose and the logo of your company you work for? Not only will you be doing something that is great for the earth, but you will also be doing your business some additional advertising. These eco friendly bags make an outstanding marketing tool for your company. Think about that. You can achieve something that is great for yourself, for your company, and for the ecosystem. It’s a convincing argument to live your life a little more conscious of the earth and a great start is through the use of eco friendly bags.