Polyconcept North America (PCNA, asi/78897) is going big on retail brands that focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility.  

At the outset of 2023, the New Kensington, PA-headquartered Top 40 supplier has added six more retail brands to its product portfolio. With the moves, PCNA now offers more than 50 retail brands for sale in the promotional products market.

Executives noted that two of the brands, Terra Thread and Nimble, have achieved B Corp status, a hard-to-earn certification that a company is meeting high ethical standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on factors that include employee benefits, charitable giving, supply chain practices and input materials.

The other brands – Silipint, Rite in the Rain, Baronfig and Noshinku – all share PCNA’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, the supplier said.

The products from the retail brands will feature on PCNA’s ProudPath,  a platform that showcases an assortment of sustainable products and retail brands, while also educating distributors with the expertise they need to sell the items to a shifting end-user demographic.

“From a corporate social responsibility perspective, people want sustainable, ethically manufactured products that last,” said Liz Haesler, global chief merchandising officer for PCNA parent company Polyconcept. “Our diverse portfolio of ProudPath brand partners make it easy for distributors to create meaningful gifts that reflect their clients’ values.”

In recent years, the promo industry has placed a greater focus on operating more sustainably and suppliers have been bringing more retail brands to the merch market than ever before – both trends evidenced by PCNA’s latest partnerships.

“The familiarity creates an instant trust,” Haesler said of retail brands. “People know they are getting a high-quality product. These are gifts they would buy for themselves.”

The new products from Nimble, Silipint, Rite in the Rain and Noshinku are in stock now. Inventory for Baronfig is expected in mid-February. Terra Thread is anticipated by early March.

According to PCNA:

• Terra Thread makes backpacks for conscious consumers and corporations, manufacturing bags from certified organic cotton in a Fair Trade Certified factory.
• Nimble is the world’s first tech hardware brand with a 100% sustainable business model.
• Silipint makes patented, BPA-free, 100% food grade-tested and unbreakable silicone drinkware. Derived from sand, silicone manufacturing preserves less abundant natural resources.
• Rite in the Rain is a patented, environmentally responsible, all-weather writing paper that repels water in wet, rainy conditions.
• Baronfig is a Made-In-USA, 100% employee-owned brand for well-crafted executive pens.
• Noshinku makes refillable pocket hand sanitizer free of synthetic chemicals.

Based on reported 2021 North American promotional product revenue of $696.4 million, PCNA ranked fourth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry.

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