When it comes to sustainability, Sterling Wilson wants a seat at the table.

The founder and president of Philadelphia-based Pop! Promos (asi/45657) has been nominated as a member director for Sedex’s Holdings Board – a nomination that came after an interview process that selected 12 candidates from around the world running for a seat on the board of the ethical trade nonprofit.

Sterling Wilson, Pop! Promos (asi/45657)

Sedex, or the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, has a mission of supplying data-driven insights, tools and services to help companies improve the environmental, social and governance (ESG) of their operations. The organization is known in particular in the promo space for its Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA), which certifies that a factory’s products are made in a way that meet best practices for labor standards, health and safety, environmental impact and business ethics.

Wilson noted that Pop! Promos has put a focus on strengthening its own corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability efforts over the past two years, and that he plans to push those efforts while advocating for the promo industry as a whole if elected to the Sedex board.

“Supply chain sustainability sits at the intersection of business and humanity,” Wilson said. “As a company, we’ve worked hard to become a sustainability leader with third-party audits from SMETA and EcoVadis. I’m honored to be nominated as a member director and am confident I will represent our industry well.”

Pop! Promos said it made a commitment to sustainability based on grassroots enthusiasm from its staff when it founded its CSR committee in 2022. Since then, the company said it has eliminated 90% of single-use plastics from its operations, offset all CO2 emissions on outbound domestic shipments and moved to run 100% of domestic operations on renewable power. In 2023, the supplier received a bronze rating from assessment platform EcoVadis, which rates companies in four key categories: environmental impact, labor and human rights standards, ethics and procurement practices.

The supplier specializes in rapid importing of full-color and Pantone-matched products.

Sedex members in the branded merch industry can vote for Wilson’s candidacy either by proxy via this link or by attending the annual general meeting to vote in real time on Tuesday, June 25, at 7 a.m. EDT.

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