“Small” is relative when it comes to PPAI 100 companies. Take Perfect Promotions (PPAI 318936, Silver), PPAI 100’s No. 59 distributor. If you were to focus only on revenue, it is considerably “smaller” than the list’s No. 1 distributor, 4imprint. Still, PPAI 100 is predicated on the idea that revenue isn’t the only thing that determines impact.

Through that lens, Perfect Promotions is a great case study because the impact it has made on the community and world around it is anything but small. In fact, the Missouri-based company not only received high marks in PPAI 100’s Responsibility category, but, according to PPAI Research, its scores in that category were on par with the top companies on the list, including 4imprint.

It’s a fairly astounding accomplishment when you consider the context. We often expect the largest companies to lead the way when it comes to initiatives around sustainability, equity, diversity and other socially forward concepts, and for good reason; they have the resources to devote towards tangible change. And yet, there is Perfect Promotions, up there with the 4imprints and HALOs of the world.

According to Joan Charbonneau, Perfect Promotions’ CEO, these priorities have been an evolving journey; they have been there from the beginning, but executing on them has led to listening and learning, which led to a shared path with customers.

“Being a responsible company has always been part of who we are, whether that’s through simple actions like recycling, organizing company-wide volunteer days or supporting local charities,” Charbonneau says. “But as our clients began paying more attention to their own environmental and social impact, they started asking deeper questions about what we were doing.

“That really challenged us, in a good way, to take a closer look at our practices.”

‘Turning Point’

Charbonneau calls the pursuit of an EcoVadis sustainability rating the “turning point” in the company’s clarity when it comes to how to approach sustainable operations.

  • In 2024, Perfect Promotions earned a Gold EcoVadis rating, putting it in the top 5% of global companies in terms of sustainability performance.
  • In the previous two years, the supplier had achieved Silver ratings, which EcoVadis says put it in the top 15% of global companies.
  • Perfect Promotions also earned an ISO 14001 certification, an environmental management system to help it create a systematic approach to its sustainability goals.


“That certification wasn’t just a badge,” says Charbonneau. “It helped us formalize our environmental management practices and embed them into the way we operate every day. We invested in employee training and workshops to make sure everyone understood not just the what but also the why.”

Perfect Promotions says that any company is able to make the same impact as a competitor with 30x its revenue. But compared to that larger company, it may have to be more intentional, and perhaps most importantly, more patient.

When your whole organization is aligned and empowered, even modest steps can add up to real impact.”

Joan Charbonneau

CEO, Perfect Promotions

“Focus on continuous improvement,” Charbonneau advises. “You don’t need to start from scratch or overhaul what’s already working. Instead, build on your existing efforts and look for small, strategic ways to do better.”

There might be overhauls or drastic sustainability measures that larger companies can do with simple board approval. When those options aren’t available for a smaller company, rarely does it mean that the only other alternative is to do nothing.

  • The landlord of the building that Perfect Promotions occupies did not allow the company to install solar panels.
  • Facing that concession, the supplier chose to partner with Bonneville Environmental Foundation to purchase renewable energy credits.


Purpose Starts At The Pitch

Perfect Promotions’ score in the Responsibility category can be attributed to a wide range of efforts and accomplishment, but it’s perhaps best exemplified by the supplier’s Purposeful Picks program.

  • Launched in 2023, the program encourages team members to include at least one sustainable product or socially beneficial option in every proposal, whether that include recyclable or reusable products or items that support minority-owned businesses or give-back programs.
  • Still a growing program that reached a new stride in 2024, Perfect Promotions provided Purposeful Picks in more than 66% proposals and sustainable products, accounting for just half of all orders.


Programs like these ensure that customers be regularly enabled to take these journeys with the supplier, making responsible business part of their brand and ethos.

There might be overhauls or drastic sustainability measures that larger companies can do with simple board approval. When those options aren’t available for a smaller company, rarely does it mean that the only other alternative is to do nothing.”

According to Charbonneau, part of the key to these programs, and the larger impact that Perfect Promotions makes, is that the employees are asked to think about why the company they work for operates responsibly. It’s an old adage that in order to be able to pitch something, you need to believe in it.

  • Perfect Promotions hosts environmental trainings.
  • It recently introduced paid volunteer time.
  • It also made sure to equip the sales team with the tools to educate clients on sustainability.


“When your whole organization is aligned and empowered, even modest steps can add up to real impact,” says Charbonneau.