Although less than 10% of the plastic ever made has been recycled, recycling is on the up, with global rates estimated to be around 20%. We have seen a similar rise in the popularity of recycled promotional products, with recycled options in branded drinkware, bags, cups and desk items all coming to the market. And did you know that recycled plastic products require up to 88% less energy when manufactured? This is because much of the energy used during manufacture is to create “virgin” plastic from raw materials such as petroleum or natural gas. Even when a product is less easy to recycle, using materials that are recycled will use less resources than those needed to make a product out of virgin materials.

See all our eco-friendly promotional products here.

Best Promotional Products Made From Recycled Materials

rHIPSb Collection

rHIPS.b Recycled Promotional Products in compost

New to the promotional market, is an expanding range of unique 100% recycled plastic promotional products which are packed in recyclable and compostable packaging. The plastic is sourced from industrial grade recycled HIPS, salvaged from the internal parts of discarded fridges and yoghurt pots. This waste is recycled to produce a new (even greener) material called rHIPSb, a revolutionary, recycled polymer.

Not only is this unique branded gift range recycled, but it is also recyclable and  biodegradable. It works through the addition of a Biodegradable Additive that enhances the ability of naturally occurring microbes to consume the plastic. In fact, promotional products made of rHIPSb will naturally biodegrade 200 times faster than normal plastics occurring in home composts, landfill and water. Friendly microbes fully digest the polymer, so all that is left is rich biomass and water and no micro plastics!

All of the products are manufactured in a green UK factory with an EPC rating of A+ and powered by solar arrays with extra power coming from a renewable energy supplier. Being made in the UK also means there are no air miles involved.

rHIPs.b Trolley Token Ice Scraper

What kind of products are in the range?

Why invest in rHIPSb promotional products?

  1. Made from 100% waste materials and no virgin materials.
  2. It is fully biodegradable: broken down by over 600 naturally occurring microbes 200 times faster than ordinary plastic. Able to biodegrade in home compost, water and landfill. 
  3. No micro-plastics just rich biomass & water: broken down by friendly microbes digesting the polymer 
  4. Available in 5 tactile, muted colourways inspired by the coastal influences of Cornwall, UK.
  5. Designed & manufactured in the UK: and distributed from Cornwall to wherever it needs to go. Meaning no air miles!

So if you are looking to embrace your brands eco-friendly credentials, this affordable, truly eco alternative promotional range could be of interest to you. See below a selection or products from the range.

Como Promotional Range

Another new recycled collection to the promotional market is the Como Range. A high quality selection of stitched gifts made from recycled bottles (RPET).  With plastic bottles in landfill taking up to 700 years to biodegrade, this range addresses the issue of sustainability and waste. The products are manufactured with recycled board and minimal waste, there is zero plastic packaging and carbon neutral UK delivery. It is also Vegan friendly with no animal products used, and contributes to a Tree Aid Scheme.

Over 70% of the Como collection is made in the UK, and includes notebooks, coasters, luggage tags, passport wallets, credit card cases and conference folders. All of which have a subtle grained finish and are soft and tactile, and can be branded with your logo with exceptional deboss quality.

Como Range of Recycled Promotional Products

Prevented Ocean Plastic Bottles

Prevented Ocean Plastic is recycled plastic collected from coastal areas at risk of ocean plastic pollution. The plastic is collected within 50km of an ocean coastline or major waterway that feeds into the ocean. This is then sorted and transformed into high quality, food-safe recycled plastic. We can now supply you with eco sports bottles made in the UK from 100% Prevented Ocean rPET Plastic. The bottles also come individually polybagged in a home-compostable bag. H20 Branded Bottle Multi

A great alternative to a single use bottle, reusable plastic bottles will be a welcomed branded gift and help to promote an eco-friendly marketing message. The H2O eco bottles come in a charcoal or blue tint bottle colour and can have a dome, spout or screw cap lid. If you are wanting a contrasting colour lid to match your brand colours, we have over 10 vibrant shades to choose from all made from TPE Plastic.

Read more about Prevented Ocean Plastic on our blog here.

Reclaimed Plastic Bottles

Also new to our recycled promotional collection is the 500ml Loop recycled sports bottle. These bottles are made from 100% reclaimed food grade material that has been saved from landfill by collection of milk bottles from council recyclers. The colour is dependent on how many labels or caps get through the remanufacturing process, hence why they are off white in colour. There are various different cap colours to choose from and either a one way sip valve or push pull lid depending on your preference.

Recycled Plastic Mugs

Joining the Americano® recycled travel mug this year is the Reclaimed Plastic Mug.  Made with recycled plastic from factory waste, this new recycled plastic mug is durable (if you drop it, it won’t break!) and dishwasher safe. Due to the recycled plastic content, it features a sparkle effect on the four stocked colours. It is manufactured in a UK factory, meaning no air miles and is recyclable.

RPET Recycled Bags

There is a huge number of promotional bags now made from RPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic). From shoppers to drawstring bags to travel bags. Here are a few suggestions:

This foldable RPET shopping bag allows for the bag to be folded into an easy to store drawstring pouch.  Made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. The bottles are shredded, ground into pellets, melted and processed into rolls of fabric and turned into bags. See below the process steps:

  1. Recycled PET bottles sourced
  2. Caps and labels are removed, bottles sorted and cleaned
  3. Bottles are shredded and ground into pellets
  4. Pellets are melted down and extruded into fibre
  5. rPET fibre is transformed into rolls of fabric
  6. Bags are made from rPET fabric and printed with your logo

If you are looking for a recycled promotional bag which can be printed with your design all over to both sides, the rPET tote is the bag for you! There is also a drawstring rPET option too. Like the Green and Innocent options above, these items are both made from 100% recycled bottles.

You can also purchase RPET bags made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles, that have embedded tracer technology for forward and backward traceability, providing full product transparency. The Ninja RPET Recron Green Gold tote bag is completely free of harmful chemicals and made using renewable technology, About 90% of the water used in the production process is recycled. Get in touch with us for more information.

Alongside shoppers and totes, there are a number of travel and business bags made with RPET. Take the Chillenden rPET business bag. Made in certified Recycled 900d Cordura (100% recycled) rPET, it features a padded compartment for a tablet or laptop and neoprene wrap carry handles. The RPET material is durable, water resistant, lightweight and strong.

Recycled Cotton & RPET Branded Shopper Bags

As well as 100% RPET branded shoppers, there are a number of new shoppers that are made using recycled cotton. This gives the bags a more natural look and a soft handle. The Seabrook 5oz recycled cotton tote bag and the Seabrook recycled gift bag are made with 60% recycled cotton t-shirts and 40% RPET.

For more information and RPET products click here.

IMPACT Promotional Collection

New to the market is the IMPACT Collection, a sustainable promotional range that has been designed to end greenwashing with traceability.  Teaming up with AWARE™, our manufacturers guarantee the genuine use of recycled materials as well as a reduction in the use of water.  All the branded backpacks, travel and laptop bags have a virtual component that verifies sustainable content by tracer technology, and validates claims by blockchain technology.

Why does the IMPACT range make water saving claims?

Water is a worldwide issue, from the melting of the Arctic to dried outlands. By 2050, 50% of the world’s population will experience so called “water stress” – having to deal with a lack of sufficient and ready to use water. By using recycled polyester and cotton in the IMPACT range, thousands of litres of water is saved and so the tracer technology also validates this reduction of water use. For each IMPACT product sold a 2% donation is made to support Water.org.

The IMPACT range also features promotional hats and document portfolios which are also covered by AWARE™ guarantees.

Recycled Pens

Promotional pens are one of the most popular and useful items to gift, so when made in a sustainable way, it is a win-win purchase! There are a number of new to the market promotional pens to choose from, all made from recycled materials:

  • Prodir DS5 Shell Ballpoint Pen: Made with 50% recycled ABS, 20% ABS and 30% recycled oyster shells
  • Prodir DS6 mini: Made from 100% recycled ABS Plastic (post-consumption of electronic devices and/or end-of-life appliances), uses up to 20% less material and produced with 40% lower CO2 emissions than standard ABS
  • Surfer RPET Ballpen: Made in Europe, from recycled PET from used water bottles.
  • Senator Liberty Matt Recycled Ballpen: Visible parts made from recycled material
  • Senator Evoxx Recycled Ballpen: Made from 95% recycled ABS Plastic
  • BIC Super Clip Origin Ballpen: Made from natural polymers derived from castor oil, sawdust and talc
  • Milk Carton Paper Ballpen: Barrel made from 70% recycled milk cartons and 30% recycled paper with PLA biodegradable fittings
  • Stilolinea Baron Extra Recycled Ballpen – 100% recycled ABS plastic from Europe. With 12 new nature inspired colours and a matt finish. Part of the “Reforestation Project” where for every 10,000 pens purchased, a tree is ‘adopted’ and planted in an African forest
  • Autograph Virtuo Recycled Ballpen: Made from recycled aluminium cans and RPET

Recycled Pencils

Similarly, there a lots of recycled promotional pencils. An ideal low cost, mailable marketing tactic for those industries that use pencils such as construction and education.

  • Newspaper Pencil: Made from rolled recycled newspaper featuring silver ferrule and coloured eraser to match pencil colour.
  • Wood Free Pencil – Made from recycled fridges and yoghurt pots. The material will not splinter or break.
  • Recycled CD Case Pencil – Made using recycled CD cases in the UK.
  • Recycled Denim Pencil: Made using certified recycled denim and polystyrene
  • Recycled Plastic Mechanical Pencil: Made from recycled plastic

Recycled Notebooks

Couple your recycled promotional pen or pencil with a recycled notebook! There has been an explosion of inventive recycled materials for promotional notebook covers:

Branded Wellness Journal

Recycled branded notebooks are a useful, timeless business gift and are an easy way to share your eco credentials. The paper used in our promotional notebooks are from responsibly sourced wood from sustainably managed forests.

UK Recycled Lanyards and Wristbands

Made using certified recycled bottles (RPET), this new promotional eco lanyard is manufactured in the UK. RPET is a strong and durable material and can be used time and time again, not only that but it can also be recycled all over again and given a new life. The eco lanyard has a large branding area (900 x 20mm), can be printed on both sides and are fitted with a safety break and trigger clip.

This RPET certified festival wristband is a great low cost way to wear your brands eco-credentials on your sleeve at any upcoming event! Your brand is printed in full colour to one side and featuring plastic security ring and and aluminium ring or spring toggle.

Recycled Umbrellas

The Eco Bedford Golf Umbrella has a canopy made from 100% recycled PET (recycled bottles). Manufactured in the UK, this umbrella has been designed with a steel frame and twin fluted ribs for increased stability in windy conditions. You can have your design printed all over the canopy for full promotional impact. What’s more, you can have your brand Pantone matched and there is no minimum order quantity.

The Mini OkoBrella WaterSAVE® Umbrella is made with recycled plastic and dyed using a water-saving dye process. It features a Bamboo handle with blackpush-button and promotional labelling option. Also available as midsize umbrella.

Recycled Clothing and Accessories

With clothing and textiles being identified as one of the largest contributors to the climate crisis, clothing manufacturers are starting to take note and change production to more sustainable and eco-friendly options.

New to the market is the Rab® Downpour Eco Jacket. Built from recycled 2.5-layer Pertex® Revolve fabric, it’s the first ever mono-polymer waterproof jacket. It uses a polyester outer and membrane, which means that in addition to being 100% recycled, it has the future potential to be fully recycled at the end of its life.

Rab Downpour Eco Jacket

Nearly all our promotional clothing is now eco-friendly, made from organic, Fairtrade or RPET materials. When it comes to clothing made from recycled material, the Iqoniq Abisko Recycled Cotton Hoodie, Neutral polyester T-shirt, Ecologie Sweater and Result Fleece Jacket are all top choices made from recycled fibres.

Recycled Gadgets

Very recently, we have seen elements of technology promotional products now being made with recycled materials. Notoriously difficult to manufacture with recycled or sustainable parts, these developments in the industry are very exciting. Here a whole host of gadgets that are now made from certified recycled materials:

There are even promotional technology gadgets being produced with plastic bound for the ocean. Which is where the majority of our plastic ends up. So it is a the ideal solution to help to prevent unusable plastics in our oceans. Items include the Ocean Gamma Hybrid Charger, Ocean Octopus Multi Cable and PD Magnetic Wireless Charger.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of brand new recycled promotional products. This is just a small selection of eco-friendly branded solutions available to you and your brand.

If you are struggling to find the right recycled branded item, then why not get in touch with the Steel City team? We can spark ideas with you and guide you to a recycled promotional product that works for you.

Please note this blog has been updated from the original posted in Aug 2021.