p48 Promota:Layout 1 16/06/2009 13:15 Page 48
PROMOTA
The best of British
PROMOTA, the Promotional Merchandise Trade Association, discusses the trend of buying British and
explores how the promotional goods industry should be getting involved.
I
n recent months, there has been an increased just okay, it’s absolutely vital – both for the British
focus on the importance of buying British. company that employs it and for the UK clients
Many major retailers, including large who stand to benefit from better products at more
supermarket chains, have followed the trend in affordable prices.
order to supersede their competition. And it looks On the other side of the coin, Michael Robinson,
as if the promotional merchandise industry is set managing director at Clear Prospects Ltd,
to follow suit. disagrees and suggests that cheaper prices are
So what does buying British really mean? The only achievable because workers are so often
Made in Britain tag is becoming more and more treated badly. Michael also believes that
popular and has a variety of important messages: “shopping abroad” goes totally against the “eco-
l it represents continued ethical production, decent friendly” trend which is so popular in the industry.
wages and working conditions; “Take non-woven, as an example and the ‘Bag for
l it advocates an environmentally friendly process, Life’ which is, at the end of the day, made from
and one which is not dependent on planes and plastic and comes all the way on a boat from the
shipping; Far East…where is the low carbon
l it shows pride in British capabilities, and footprint there? In the same vein,
l it presents home-grown opportunities how, for example, can a
for British people. company be sure that eco-
With the nation being urged to buy friendly schemes such as
British, PROMOTA caught up with recycling are being
two of its members, Clear sufficiently enforced if
Prospects and KeepMe their factory is in China?
Promotions to discuss their Surely sourcing and
two very different views on producing products in Britain is
whether buying British is a not only supporting British trade,
realistic prospect in a global but is also an attempt at being
business environment. more eco-friendly?” says Michael.
KeepMe Promotions suggests Clear Prospects is a firm believer
that buying British is actually that brand owners and distributors
a myth. In some industries, really can make a difference to British trade.
quantifying claims to Britishness It would be, for example, As an industry, I have always believed that we
is a relatively simple matter. possible to provide 40 full are forward thinking. We are now constantly
Meat for example, from a time jobs if the company looking into how our products can be more
local breed on an organic manufactured one environmentally friendly and ethical production
farm in the Home Counties million bags in their is being constantly considered. In a similar way,
can easily justify its claims to British factory. With this patriotism is a topic of the moment. More of us
be British. In the type of incentive, are following the trend and trying to buy
promotional merchandise companies should be British in the supermarket, and this is also
industry however, it is not offering these types of happening in the promotional merchandise
always so easy to always source opportunities to British workers, industry.
British produce. instead of importing foreign bags, helping the From the arguments presented here by two
Kevin Anderson, joint managing director at British economy and the carbon footprint of the PROMOTA members it is clear that there are
KeepMe Promotions, said: “When was the last industry. two different views surrounding this topic
time you saw a field of cotton among England’s There are clearly two sides to this argument. On within the industry.
rolling fields, growing fabric for the eco-friendly the one hand, ‘buying British’ means that we are However, whichever way we look at things, it is
bags we love to use? When was the last time you providing jobs in Britain, and working towards important that as an industry we are
stumbled across a UK manufacturer of the micro- continued ethical and environmentally friendly considering where we buy things from. No
chips that are used in the ‘British’ pen drives we production. However, it can also be suggested that matter if you are sourcing products from Britain
depend on every day? workers in certain foreign factories are treated no or Bulgaria, I want to see the promotional
“Even though products such as woven eco-bags differently to those in Britain, and using imported merchandise industry remain forward thinking
and pens may be British-made, by British produce is sometimes necessary as they are not and ensuring that all produce is, from the
companies in British factories, they are not available to us in Britain. This topic presents two outset, ethical, and where possible
completely British as the component parts are good arguments and both are viable in the environmentally friendly.
originally foreign and imported, suggesting that promotional merchandise industry. It is up to For more information about PROMOTA, call
the claim of items to Britishness is little more than individual businesses to be open to discussion on 0845 371 4335.
a marketing ploy,” continued Kevin. the topic, while ensuring that whichever path they
KeepMe therefore enforces the idea that the choose, they maintain the high standards of Rod Duncan
harnessing of foreign expertise and produce is not production which the industry is famous for.
| 48 | July 2009 www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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