Sustainable employee gifts: which upcycled products are suitable

Not every product works as a gift for employees. What sells in the fan shop can miss the mark internally, and what looks good is not automatically used.

Getting round the size problem

The most common mistake is clothing. As soon as sizes come into play, you need surveys, repeat orders and exchanges, and part of the workforce still ends up with something that does not fit.

Accessories solve that. Bags, cases, scarves and cushions fit everyone, can be ordered in a single version and do not pile up in a box of leftover sizes.

Products that actually get used

Toiletry bag. By far the most common employee gift in our projects. Everyone needs one, hardly anyone buys themselves a new one.

Laptop sleeve. Particularly useful in companies that issue devices anyway.

Tote bag. Unremarkable, but in constant use day to day.

Belt bag and Moonbag. These work well with younger teams and with field staff.

Cardholder and keyring. The cheapest products per unit, good for large workforces or as an addition.

Tube scarf. Practical for anyone who works outdoors.

Seat cushion and cushion. An obvious choice for companies with a canteen, break rooms or home-office equipment.

The quantity determines the product

The sum works from both ends. How many people do you want to give something to, and how much material do you have?

With 250 employees and a large stock of banners, almost anything is possible. With 2,000 employees and a few flags, only small items are an option, because one square metre of banner fabric makes about two tote bags, but thirty to fifty keyrings.

If the two do not match, it can be graded: a high-quality product for an anniversary or for one department, a cheaper one for everyone.

Not just Christmas

Employee gifts are almost always planned in autumn, yet there are occasions all year round. Company anniversaries, onboarding packages, staff parties, farewells, project completions.

For onboarding, upcycling works particularly well, because new employees are handed something that came from inside the company. The same logic applies to welcome packages at universities.

What makes the difference

What makes an upcycled product beat a bought-in promotional gift is that it has an origin. The bag made from the banner of the last campaign tells a story that a printed ballpoint pen cannot.

On request, every product is given a woven-in label stating what it was made from.

Two figures are enough to start

How much material you have, and how many people are getting one. With those we will suggest the products that fit both.