Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America (PCNA, asi/78897) is launching ProudPath, a new platform to help promotional products distributors meet their customers’ environmental and social responsibility objectives.

The new platform will share an assortment of sustainable products and retail brands, but also educate distributors with the expertise they need to sell the items to a shifting end-user demographic.

“The focus on environmental and social responsibility is changing how we all do business. We’re proud to continue leading that change,” Neil Ringel, CEO of PCNA said. “Just as our assortment of sustainable and socially responsible gift solutions has grown during the past several years, so has our ability to make a difference through partnerships with nonprofits and forward-thinking retail brands.”

He added that ProudPath represents “the next big step” in PCNA’s commitment to people and planet.

The ProudPath platform is designed for distributors to use as their own, according to PCNA. It includes a broad assortment of products that’s easy to navigate, along with sales tools to educate and share ideas – including a new e-catalog. Distributors can help customers make an impact in a variety of ways, whether it’s retail brands that give back to great causes, supporting small businesses or eco-friendly products.

In addition, PCNA says it will continue its own efforts toward sustainability, including the 2019 partnership it started with 1% for the Planet. The supplier donates 1% of eco-product sales to environmental nonprofits Well Aware and One Tree Planted. PCNA uses UPS carbon-neutral shipping to deliver orders and has earned Forest Stewardship Council Chain-of-Custody certification for U.S. facilities in Pittsburgh, Miami and Charlotte, NC, ensuring that FSC-certified products are from responsibly managed forests. Moving forward, PCNA says it will partner only with retail brands that share its commitment to environmental and social responsibility.

By 2025, the supplier is aiming for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions and 100% supply chain transparency.

Ringel believes now is the time for an industry-wide transformation toward environmental and social responsibility. “The world is changing, and it’s time for our industry to do the same,” he said. “This is an opportunity for everyone to reimagine what they’re doing today and make a commitment to do better for tomorrow. Collectively, we’ll shape a future that will make us all proud.”

Sustainability efforts in the industry have been ramping up in recent years. For example, Gemline, the 12^th-largest supplier in the industry, recently released a 2021 CSR report that includes plans to launch a solar array this year and recycling statistics from its landfill-free facility. And SwagCycle, which responsibly manages the lifecycle of branded merchandise to help recycle or repurpose unwanted promo products, shared recently that both its landfill divergence totals and charitable impact increased by more than 10 times over in 2021.

With reported 2020 North American promo products revenue of $512.3 million, PCNA ranked fourth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.

Promo for the Planet is your destination for the latest news, biggest trends and best ideas to help build a more sustainable and socially-responsible industry.