Earth Day is meant to remind people of the ways they can have a positive impact on the environment. While Earth Day serves as a special reminder, many people have made being more environmentally conscious part of their lifestyles. Maybe you are looking for ways to go more eco-friendly with your screen printing business, or maybe you are looking to appeal to eco-minded customers. One way to green your screen printing is by offering custom decorated environmentally friendly products. Here are three ways you can add eco-friendly products to your screen printing business.

1. Seek out eco-friendly materials

One of the easiest ways to green the product offerings in your screen printing shop is to look for screen printing substrates that are made from sustainable materials or that are produced in a more environmentally friendly manner. You probably know that you can find garments made of organic cotton and eco-friendly bamboo, but there are a host of fibers now that are sourced naturally. You can find fibers made from hemp, jute, stinging nettle and lotus. Cork has become another popular option for eco-friendly products. Natural cork is biodegradable and sustainably produced, and synthetic cork is easily recycled. These days, you can find a host of cork products that are great for screen printing, including everything from coasters and notebooks to hats and tote bags. Other popular materials for eco-friendly screen printing or promotional items include wood and tree-free cardboard.

2. Look for materials with post-consumer content

Recycling offers an opportunity to reduce your waste and have a positive impact on the environment. On the flip side, you can be greener in your screen-printing business by screen printing on post-consumer recycled content. These days, you find nearly any screen printing substrate made from post-consumer content. There are plastic water bottles, Frisbees and tote bags made from recycled materials, post-consumer notebooks and other paper products, and even t-shirts, fleece and other garments made from recycled cotton or plastic.

3. Think reusable

Products that allow people to ditch single-use disposable items are becoming more and more popular, and you can screen print logos and designs on many of these products to appeal to environmentally minded customers. Of course, water bottles and reusable travel coffee mugs have long been popular reusable items, but you can go well beyond those in your product offerings. These days, people are looking to reduce their use of items like plastic silverware, plastic straws, disposable food containers and plastic bags. Reusable plastic silverware in a travel case and stainless steel straws in carrying cases can be screen printed for an interesting and usable promotional product. Screen printing bento boxes can give people an eco-friendly option for carrying lunches. You probably know that tote bags and reusable shopping bags are popular for those looking to eliminate the use of plastic shopping bags, but you also can screen print on cotton pouches that can be used for produce or other smaller items on shopping trips.

The good news about these eco-friendly products is that they have become increasingly mainstream. While natural, sustainable fabrics, post-consumer products and reusable items were once hard to find and limited in their selections, they are now easy to find and cheaper to purchase. That means you can offer eco-friendly products to your screen printing customers — and reduce your screen printing business’s environmental footprint — this Earth Day and every day.

Want some more tips to help reduce your screen printing shop’s environmental footprint? Check out these blogs:

How to Make Your Screen Printing Shop More Environmentally Friendly

A Screen Printer’s Guide to Environmentally Friendly Apparel