But the truth couldn’t be more different, says Evan Lewis, founder and director of recycled and eco-friendly business and promotional gift supplier Everything Environmental. “These days, prices have dropped, quality has improved and the range is no longer limited,” he explains. “The idea that you can only buy pads made from recycled paper, pens from recycled plastic and pencils is an out of date image.”

In fact, stylish, modern, water powered clocks; caps made from recycled bottles and cotton; and even golf accessories from recycled materials are just some of the latest products now available through Everything Environmental.

Lewis founded the company in 2005 to fill a gap he had spotted in the market while working in the business gift sector.

“I could see the increase in demand for recycled and eco-friendly business and promotional gifts, but the distributors weren’t fulfilling it, and despite the demand the product wasn’t getting to the end user,” he explains. “I saw a solution, so I found some investors and got a business plan together.”

Lewis didn’t look to the ‘Dragons’ for investment, as many entrepreneurs seem to do these days, but says watching the show inspired him. “I learnt a lot from it about how to pitch for investment,” he says, “and how not to!”

Now in its third year and with over 150 products, the company has expanded to offering the widest range of recycled and eco-friendly gifts in the promotions and incentives sector.

Demand has exceeded expectations, says Lewis, and turnover has grown from £160,000 in the first year, to £650,000 in the second; with expectations for £1.5m this year.

In terms of launching the business, Lewis says he couldn’t have timed it better. “Four years ago, before the explosion of the carbon footprint issues, I forecasted that this would be the next major issue which all marketing departments would have to focus on,” he says.

The increase in press coverage of the carbon footprint issue helped this new consciousness and Lewis realised the market was ripe for a range of recycled products that previously had been limited, expensive and of a questionable quality.

But does Lewis expect the growth in ‘green’ products and business to continue? “I think it will slow down in time, but by then it will have reached a certain level from where it will not go back,” he predicts. As to whether or not it will ever become mainstream, he is equally realistic. “Probably not, no. But it will become a significant part of the industry. Eco products are becoming more of a sector now, rather than a niche,” says Lewis. “Niche implies there’s a certain type of person buying the product, but that’s no longer the case for ‘green’ products. In fact, promotional gifts are often the first line of attack for a company to advertise its environmental credentials.”

With more and more companies jumping on the ‘green’ bandwagon, how does Lewis view the competition and what sets his company apart from the rest? “We are a one-stop-shop, unlike, for instance, some of the bag or pen companies that just bring out the odd recycled product and are merely paying lipservice to the idea. For us, it’s all we do, and we have certification to back it up.”

Some of the products in stock are made specifically for the company, usually in the UK or Europe; while most are sourced from around the world. “Some have previously only been available to the retail market, but through us are brought to the promotional gift market,” adds Lewis. One thing he is adamant about, however, is who the customer is. “We do not sell to the end user or into retail, or abroad,” he states.

In fact, the company describes itself as “a trade only supplier working as part of your team” and aims to work as much in conjunction with the distributor as possible to get the products to the end user as fast as possible.

“We are also experts in our field, unlike some companies, which only offer an environmentally friendly product as an add-on within a range,” says Lewis. “So we can answer any questions that people may have or any uncertainty about the terminology.”

Indeed, explains Lewis, people still don’t really understand some of the ‘green’ jargon: what the difference is between a recycled and a recyclable product, for instance. “There is a lot of misinformation out there that’s difficult to understand,” he says.”People are constantly trying to trip us up as a company or pull the wool over customers’ eyes; muddy the water to make their product look more appealing than it really is.”

As well as being an expert in its field, one of the company’s main selling points is that it can store vast quantities of stock and offers lead times as short as five days, dispelling the myth that environmentally friendly products take longer to source than other promotional products, says Lewis. This is crucial in an industry that is becoming increasingly last minute. “It’s becoming very competitive and is all about service these days – prices simply can’t come down any more,” he explains.

Specialist printers are used to cope with the broad range of products, which includes items such as Frisbees and yoyos, desktop accessories, and grow your own flower ranges. New for Christmas will be a Jute bag to cater for the growing ‘bag for life’ trend. The printers also hold the company’s stock, which helps bring lead times down even further.

Lewis disputes the aforementioned preconceptions about environmental products: that they are more expensive and of limited range and colours. “We have over 150 products in our range, lots of colour, and 90% are around the same price as the mainstream version. They have to be competitive or they wouldn’t sell,” he explains.

“The out-of-date reputation prevails, but fortunately many major organisations, keen to demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility, are insisting that staff put environmental criteria in tender documents and briefs. They are then discovering that the price and quality gap has closed.”

So how does the company go about sourcing and developing new products? Initially Lewis had to source all the products himself, but as the company has grown so too has the new product development process. “Increasingly people are bringing products to us as a quick way to get them to market,” he says. “We also listen to our customers and see if there is anything they are continually asking for.”

In an industry where prices are continually driven down and where goods must be delivered “yesterday”, it’s no surprise that lead times are one of the biggest pressures facing the company. “Cashflow is also a big pressure, especially when you are growing at the rate we’re growing and require the stock levels we do, so that’s always a challenge,” says Lewis.

Going forward, Everything Environmental plans to remain focused on the areas it currently occupies, believing there is still “huge growth potential” there. “Once we’re fully established, the next logical step would be to look at venturing into the same markets abroad,” suggests Lewis, “but we won’t be moving across into retail.”

The company is currently based in London and in Bristol, which is where the stock is held and where any future growth will be.

But as to whether the company itself is carbon neutral or whether all the staff hug trees, Lewis doesn’t claim to take the moral high ground. “As a company we don’t have much of a carbon footprint, but we do try and make sure that those people we are working with are as environmentally friendly as possible in all areas. For us though, it’s about the products and offering a solution – not whether we cycle to work or have solar panels.”

Web: www.everything-environmental.co.uk

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