Sustainable umbrellas as promotional products & giveaways
How environmentally sound are promotional umbrellas?
If you compare umbrellas with many other promotional products, they can be credited with being more valuable. Due to their comparatively long life cycle and tangible usefulness, umbrellas are generally more sustainable than many other short-lived and rarely used promotional gifts. When it comes to the question of sustainability, not only the life cycle but also the production process and the materials used play a crucial role in promotional products.
Therefore, when assessing the sustainability of umbrellas, you should consider the following aspects in particular:
- Product life cycle
- CO2 emissions for transport and production
- Environmental standards during production
- Materials used
- Working conditions in the manufacturing process
We give 3 recommendations for ensuring sustainability when buying umbrellas.
Tip 1 - Umbrellas with a long life cycle
The most sustainable umbrella of all is one that doesn’t need to be bought a second time. That’s why it’s crucial to pay attention to quality when purchasing an umbrella. You do neither the environment nor your customers any favours with inferior products. At Schirmmacher, our number one priority is to ensure the quality of our products. Even the cheapest models in our range can be expected to last a long time.
Tip 2 - Umbrellas made in Europe
Over 90% of all umbrellas available in Europe come from Asia. In the European Union, umbrella production is carried out in compliance with higher level environmental standards compared to the Asian region, while the prescribed social standards for workers are far superior. All this to say, products made in Europe are going to be durable.
There is also a reduction in CO2 emissions, as the umbrellas don’t need to be transported as far. It should be noted that even in the case of umbrellas “made in the EU”, not all of the individual parts come from Europe. In terms of sustainability, European umbrellas offer many all-round advantages compared to Asian products. You can find an overview of our umbrellas made in Europe here.
Tip 3 - Umbrellas made from sustainable materials
There are umbrellas that are produced from particularly sustainable products. A popular example of this is the eco-umbrella from the compare FARE, which has won a sustainability award. The fabric of eco-umbrellas is made from recycled plastic waste, while the handles are made from bamboo. The umbrellas also come in compostable sheets. One version of the umbrella even comes with an umbrella cover that doubles as a tote bag, which is intended to eliminate the need to buy plastic bags. Please note that the eco-umbrella (like almost all umbrellas) is produced in China. You can find an overview of our eco-umbrellas here.
Conclusion and outlook
A great deal is currently being done in terms of sustainability in umbrella production. Not only are new materials being tested; manufacturing processes are also being optimised (e.g. saving water during production). We definitely see these changes as a step in the right direction. Especially when it comes to parasols for the catering industry, there is great progress in the field of sustainability. Some parasols (including all individual parts) are already produced entirely in Europe with recycled materials.
Sustainability is and remains a central issue for us. We see it as our duty to work with our suppliers to develop and promote sustainable products and processes. With our code of conduct, we commit ourselves and our suppliers, with whom we maintain close and trustworthy relationships, to compliance with environmental and social standards.
Other articles:
Tips for purchasing umbrellas | Proper care of umbrellas | Explanation of umbrella manufacturing | Sustainable umbrellas |