For a long time we have talked about the different options you, as a consumer, can choose to help make your promotional product offering more sustainable… but we never seem to talk about what we do to help contribute to the same cause.

After fielding many customer questions about what actions Genumark takes towards making our services “greener,” it is time we took a little pride in what we have done so far and what we continue to strive towards.

Our Environmental Commitment

The environment and the economy are intertwined like never before. With this in mind, Genumark has implemented an environmental management system (EMS). This EMS is based on the ISO 14001:2015 standards that our company is annually audited for, maintaining our certification for the last 15 years.

At the forefront of this initiative is taking major steps to “greening” our operations, both internally and externally. Some of the general steps we have taken are:

• Mandatory auto-shutdown of all computers at the end of a business day, reducing our energy consumption by as much as 50%.
• Provide staff with reusable drinkware and kitchenware to avoid single use items.
• An extensive push to have all documents stored and sent digitally. When this is not possible, two-sided printing is the automatic standard to reduce paper consumption.
• Retrofitted our office lighting to help reduce our energy consumption.
• Pushing and working with our supply chain to provide and demonstrate awareness and adherence to environmental practices, especially those that help us meet our ISO goals.
• Eliminating printed catalogues and marketing digital versions that provide many of the same sensory experiences, including sounds and manual page flipping, that printed catalogues would have.

Greener Warehousing & Fulfillment

We are continuously seeking ways to improve our environmental footprint in this area.  Since 2005, Genumark has instituted the following changes in how this part of our business operates:

• Utilization of biodegradable air-pillows and packing chips when safeguarding products set for shipping. 
• Genumark branded boxes and paper tape used in kitting are made from recycled materials.
• We offer clients options that take their shipping packaging and materials to the next step, including more compostable and recycled options.

Shipping with the Environment in Mind

There is no denying that as consumer behaviour increasingly demands more convenience, the volume of shipping will continue to skyrocket. While courier services are working towards and making strides in creating “cleaner” ways to deliver packages, we recognized that we could also provide a positive impact in our shipping systems.

As of the beginning of 2020, Genumark has partnered with our primary carrier to ensure that all shipments completed with our account will be carbon-neutral through offset credits. The funds collected through this program are channelled into projects that work towards building environmental infrastructures and different types of waste elimination.

This is where we are right now, but this is by no means where it ends. We are constantly seeking ways to lessen the environmental footprint of promotional products, providing you and your end-users some peace of mind when receiving your custom merchandise.

If you have any questions regarding our environmental policies, or you have suggestions of other ways we can improve in this goal, please contact us! Let’s work together in keeping our planet healthy and strong for future generations of swag lovers!