KeepMe dispels the ‘Green Bubble’ myth

In 2004, KeepMe Bags was established as one of the first providers of re-useable bags

in the UK promotional industry. It introduced a wide range of cotton, paper and

polypropylene products to the market and, as the order books filled up, it quickly

became apparent that ecological integrity was able to play a very active part in the

success of a marketing campaign.

However, then, as now, the success of these green promotional products depended

upon their intrinsic value. If a branded bag was sufficiently desirable to be kept by the

public, it would provide a client with repeat exposure way out of proportion to the

financial investment required to produce it. Better still, the glaring common sense

behind a bag that could be re-used indefinitely ensured that any exposure would be of

a very modern and progressive kind. Steve Anderson, joint MD at KeepMe Bags,

knew then that this would be central to its success: “Using a promotional product

with demonstrable ‘eco-friendly’ value doesn’t just promote your brand. It

promotes your company ethos – and in the modern business environment, that is

absolutely critical.”

The scale of the success that has greeted re-useable bags since 2004 has certainly

been very marked but it is not reasonable to describe the rapid uptake in eco-friendly

promo products as a ‘green bubble’. On the contrary, this new alliance of business

efficiency and ecological respect has been a natural and sustainable development -

and as we move into 2010, Mr Anderson believes that the promotional industry is

more committed than ever to the use of green products: “This is not a matter for

conjecture. After just five years in business, our Indian plant employs 200 people

full time and manufactures half a million re-useable cotton bags a month. We don’t

produce these bags in a hopeful or speculative fashion. We produce them as a direct

response to demand from the UK promotional market.”

In fact even the onset of difficult economic conditions has done nothing to curtail

demand and that’s not just because cotton bags are better for the environment than

disposable plastic. It’s because they generate better results, as Mr Anderson explains:

“Plastic bags have become positively damaging to your company profile. They are

relics from an era to which no modern company wants to belong. By contrast, our

cotton bags can be re-used over extended periods, allowing you to embrace the

world of ecologically sound promotions with a product that is very easy to justify in

terms of financial outlay.”

So, is the ‘green bubble’ really bursting? Well it’s not an idea that gains any credence

at KeepMe Bags: “The green bubble has not burst because it was never a bubble.

There was never anything fragile or transient about it. On the contrary, it was a

positive, deliberate and necessary transition to a more sustainable way of doing

business. Neither complacency nor tough economic times can do anything to

undermine that fact.”

Contact

Keepme Bags

10 Quadrant Court

Crossways Business Park

Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9AY

Tel: 01322 381144

Email: sales@keepmebags.com

Web: www.keepmebags.com

Caption: Steve Anderson is convinced that the green way of doing things is here to stay

……………………………….ENDS………………………………

Editor’s notes

KeepMe Bags is part of the KeepMe Group of companies, providing innovative

promotional merchandise and design services to the corporate sector.

The company has been working to counteract the profligacy of the throwaway culture

ever since its inception in 2004. Steve Anderson, joint MD of the company and one of

the largest bag suppliers in the UK, aims to provide a superior alternative to

conventional plastic bags by offering a re-useable product that is both practical and

cost-effective.

The company is fostering a culture of recycling, re-use and regeneration that goes

right to the heart of everything it does. Every single custom-printed bag or box

ordered from Keepme Bags results in a tree being planted in the UK, plus a

personalised certificate for the client, to testify to the sustainability of the purchase.

For additional press information or images, email alexsmith74@hotmail.co.uk.