Environmental conservation and recycled promotional products can be confusing. There is much room for improvement in the recycled & eco-friendly promotional product industry, and EPP is a conduit for helping make educated choices that are eco friendly.

What numbers are you recycling?

Take a look at your water bottle, egg carton, Or shampoo; Do you see a recycling symbol with a number?  Did you recognize that all products hold different numbers?  What exactly do these numbers mean?

PET or PETE stands for polyethylene terephtalate. You will see this number on soft drinks, water or beer bottles, mouthwash containers, peanut butter, salad dressing, and more.  These products the most common for single-used products, i.e. beverage bottles.  PET plastic is low cost, lightweight, and simple to recycle.  These products also have a low risk of discharging breakdown products. Despite the importance and demand of PET plastics its recycling rate is only at 20%.

HDPE indicates a product that has a high density of polyethylene. 

This symbol is found on milk jugs, juice bottles, trash and shopping bags, detergents, household cleaners, shampoos, cereal boxes, motor oil bottles, and much more. What classifies these products into HDPE is their ability to have multiple uses mainly in packaging; they also bear low risks of emitting the decomposition of products.

Number 3 plastics show either a V (Vinyl) or PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). You will find this number on window cleaners, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, medical equipment, piping and much more.  Unfortunately PVC plastics are rarely recycled because they contain chlorine and can emit dangerous dioxins.  Although, they PVC plastics are not recycled as much they are accepted by plastic lumber makers in order to make things like decks, paneling, and speed bumps.

LDPE plastics represent low density polyethylene.  Number 4 plastics can be seen in squeezable bottles, frozen food, tote bags, clothing, bread, dry cleaning and shopping bags.  LDPE is a flexible plastic that can be recycled in multiple things like compost bins, shipping envelopes, landscaping ties, and floor tile but in America it isn’t recycled often. 

In number 5 plastics, the PP represents polypropylene.  The initials will mainly be seen on syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, bottle caps, medicine bottles, and some yogurt containers. All of these products have a high melting point which is why PP products are often used to hold hot liquids. 

Number 6 plastics have a PS on products because they contain polystyrene. PS plastics can be found in disposable plates and cups, egg cartons, carry-out containers, CD cases, and meat trays.  PS products are used to make several foam products. In spite of the many uses of number 6 plastics, they can also emit toxins into food.  Environmentalists have disapproved of Styrofoam, as it is highly difficult to recycle and its disbursement is in great numbers.  

The last plastics you will come across are Miscellaneous.  Number 7 plastics are seen mainly in 3 and 5 gallon water bottles, bullet proof materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod cases, computer cases, and more.  The seventh category is made up of products that cannot be placed into any other plastic category.  Some number 7 plastics are made of plants (polyactide) and others are made of plastics (polycarbonate).

The products that you recycle can greatly benefit or harm the environment you live in.  Knowing the meaning of each recycling symbol can help you take one step to positively influence the planet.  By taking an extra few seconds to look on a ketchup bottle, shopping bag, soda can, or cereal box and recognizing its number, you may decide to consume fewer products with 5, 6, or 7 and purchase more within 1-4.  Maybe you’ll be at the store and you want to by a few CDs, a 24 pack of water bottles, and window cleaner. As you are picking out these products you read the number 6 on the CD case and decide you can just download the songs you want onto your ipod; then you remember that even though most water bottles have a number 1 only 20% of PET plastics are recycled, so you select reusable water bottles; and lastly you come across the window cleaner and recall that it is classified as a number 3 recyclable but is known for emitting dangerous dioxins, thus you pick out an Eco-friendly window cleaner that contains less toxins and ultimately bettering the environment.   

Benefits of Bamboo

• Bamboo takes in more greenhouse gases and produces 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.
• Bamboo is more adaptable to different types of environments than other softwoods
• Economic studies have shown that by developing more uses for bamboo, there is the potential to provide income, food and housing to more than 2.2 billion people worldwide.
• Using Bamboo allows us to re-green degraded areas hit by natural or man-made disasters.
•  Bamboo does not require a large amount of pesticides to grow, it is naturally irrigated.

Source: http://www.obermeyernaturals.com/Benefits-of-Bamboo-sp-33.html

Bamboo as it relates to bamboo clothing & bamboo towels –

• Textiles made of bamboo have natural antibacterial, antifungal and odor resistant properties, even after multiple washings.
• Bamboo fabric requires less dye than cotton, modal or viscose, and the color is much more vivid.
• Bamboo fiber is a biodegradable textile material. It can be 100% biodegraded in soil by microorganisms and sunshine. The decomposition process doesn't cause any pollution to the environment.
• Bamboo plants can grow up to 36 in. in one day and can be fully grown in less than 4 years; as it grows bamboo develops more CO2 and releases 35% more oxygen into the air

Source: Eco by Boardroom Design and Creative (Catalog)

What are the benefits of:

• Corn Plastic - Polylactic Acid (PLA)
  
  • Made from a renewable resource & considered "Carbon Neutral" comes from renewable, carbon-absorbing plants
  • Starting to be less expensive due to high oil prices
  • Producing PLA uses 65% less energy to produce than Plastic (Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
  • Generates 68% fewer greenhouse gases versus PET
  • Will not emit toxic fumes when incinerated
  • Compostable under "controlled composting environment".

• Paper Versus Plastic

  

• Organic Cotton Versus Conventional Cotton
  
  Eco Promotional Products, Inc. is dedicated to providing products that are safe for our people and the environment. Studies have shown organically grown cotton is beautiful, comfortable, sturdy, while minimizing harm to people and planet.

  Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. Unfortunately U.S. production only makes up 3.06% of global organic cotton production. With the growing interest in environmentally safe organic cotton, together we can help build the demand and therefore production.

Sources Used: www.aboutorganiccotton.org, www.ota.org,www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321