Sustainability is one of the most important and rapidly growing trends in the promotional products industry. Your company will benefit by staying well-informed of eco-friendly and people-friendly practices, materials and products.
Storm Creek is proud to have been at the forefront of this movement for many years, but we’re always seeking better. As new research and technology emerge, we continually evolve our sustainability practices to stay ahead.
Earning and maintaining your trust—and helping you build that trust with your corporate branding clients—requires a commitment to transparency, innovation, and eco-conscious practices.
What Promo Distributors and Their Customers Look for in Sustainability
As new generations of decision-makers enter the marketplace with a clear focus on sustainability, the demand for honesty and forward-thinking solutions will only grow. Greenwashing won’t cut it; today’s buyers value genuine efforts that prioritize the health of both the planet and its people. It’s not enough to use the jargon—we must be transparent about our compliance and let them know we’ve done our due diligence in this area.
At the same time, they demand high performance in branded apparel. They expect sustainable products that look fantastic, feel comfortable, and function well no matter the occasion.
We make this easy for you by being completely open about our processes and materials. This includes CPSIA compliance (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act). Prop 65 compliance—even with our trim, zippers and labels. And the PPAI Code of Conduct.
It also means the partners we work with from decorators to factories have the same high standards for environmental responsibility and safe working conditions.
You can request our style-specific compliance and certification documents anytime by emailing us at compliance@stormcreek.com.
Storm Creek’s Key Sustainability Initiatives
We take our involvement in sustainability initiatives very seriously. These include:
Bluesign® Partnership
Bluesign® upholds rigorous standards in the textile industry worldwide for environmental impact and safe production practices for workers.
Storm Creek is the first US promotional products brand to join the bluesign® SYSTEM. Part of this commitment means we pledge to use only bluesign® APPROVED fabrics by 2025. You can see in our Fall Catalog that we’ve already begun that quest.
Bluesign® CEO Daniel Rüfenacht said, “We are thrilled to welcome Storm Creek as a promotional products brand to join the bluesign® SYSTEM. Their commitment to using 100% bluesign® APPROVED fabrics by 2025 is a bold and commendable step towards a more sustainable future. Storm Creek’s leadership in this area sets an inspiring example for the entire promotional products industry.”
More Environmental Certifications
We’re committed to other certifications as well, including:
- GRS (Global Recycled Standard)—This ensures the materials we use in our garments come from sustainable recycled sources. Since we use recycled plastics and nylon in a high percentage of our products, this certification is crucial.
- OEKO-TEX—This focuses on the impact on human ecological safety throughout the supply chain. It ensures that the workers who handle our materials are protected and treated fairly.
- Chemical safety—We’ve committed to phasing out PFAS and other technologies known to contribute to microplastic pollution.
Higg Index
Storm Creek uses the Higg Index to measure our environmental performance throughout the supply chain. These tools help us evaluate facilities, materials and industry partners. Using the Index helps us focus on transparency and accountability in our sustainability reporting.
Bottle Count Measurement and Carbon Offset
Our Bottle to Better™ program has been in place since 2019. So far, we’ve upcycled over 42 million plastic bottles and transformed them into our eco-friendly apparel. We plan to grow that number to 65 million by the end of 2025. Ambitious? Yes! And we’re up for the challenge.
Soon, we’ll implement our Carbon Offset program, solidifying our commitment to offset emissions with every garment we make.
As the sustainability trend strengthens, some companies try to dodge the system by “greenwashing.” They pretend to be eco-friendly through misleading statements without going through the hard work and sacrifice of actually being eco-friendly.
We’re transparent with our sustainability initiatives to help you track these metrics for your own clients and their end users. When you partner with us for your branded apparel needs, you know you’re getting honest numbers you can pass on. You join with us in saying No! to greenwashing.
Social Responsibility and Fair Labor Practices
We’re not just committed to sustainable environmental practices. We’re also committed to seeing people benefit through our manufacturing processes no matter where they work on the supply chain.
This isn’t new for us, but here’s a review of initiatives we believe in and partner with:
- WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) recognizes socially responsible manufacturing processes and certifies companies using them.
- BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) supports workers’ rights worldwide in areas like health, safety, child labor laws, fair pay and decent working hours.
- Diversity Spend—As a women-owned company, Storm Creek is committed to diversity and inclusion in our own headquarters. By collaborating with us, you not only fulfillTier One supplier requirements, but also ensure Tier Two supplier recognition when selling. (Don't worry if you're not a diverse-owned distributor. When you partner with Storm Creek, you automatically gain Tier Two supplier recognition.)
Selling Sustainability with Our Distributors
We created our Storm Creek Sustainability School in 2021 and continually look for ways to expand it. This is a valuable resource for our distribution partners. You can learn more about sustainability to increase sales with your eco-conscious clients. Through the school, we offer sales strategies and best practices, online quizzes and webinars.
An example you can watch today is our 2024 webinar “Your Sustainable Advantage.” We partnered with PPAI and SwagCycle to bring you key insights about sustainability, circularity and end-of-life excellence.
We’ll continue to pass on what we learn so you can learn more about sustainability as we do.
Storm Creek’s Future Goals: Always Seeking Better
We think you know by now that we’re never satisfied to stay where we are. We commit to improving year by year as technology and processes improve for sustainability.
Our biggest challenge for the next year is to meet our own high-reaching goal of using only bluesign® APPROVED fabrics in our apparel by the end of 2025. Based on our eco-friendly track record so far, we’re confident we’ll be able to meet that goal.
You can join the sustainability movement (or strengthen your position in it) by partnering with us for all your corporate branding needs. Not only do we make it easy for you to communicate eco-transparency to your clients, but we also make it easy to suggest products and fulfill orders.
And remember, your customers’ end users want those eco-friendly and social-friendly products that perform, fit to a T, and feel great. Partnering with Storm Creek gives you the confidence that those expectations will be met.
Contact your sales rep today or create a Distributor account with us to begin the process.
