If you’ve ever felt that Gen Z was judging your company tote bag, you’re not wrong.
According to PPAI’s 2025 Promo Preferences by Generation study, 73% of Gen Z respondents said apparel is their favorite type of promo product – but not just any apparel. They’re choosing brands that wear their values on their sleeves, quite literally. Food and beverage items ranked a close second, showing that Gen Z likes things that can be consumed, composted or at least recycled before the guilt sets in.
Millennials, meanwhile, still love their fashion accessories (55%) and drinkware (40%), which suggests they’re fueling both caffeine habits and climate concern. Gen X, ever practical, put office items at the top of their list, which is adorable, given that half of them now work remotely in sweatpants.
Sustainable Is Stylish
What’s striking isn’t just the difference in favorite product categories, it’s the difference in expectations. For younger buyers, sustainability isn’t a feature; it’s an admission ticket. According to The State of Responsibility 2025 report, nearly two-thirds of suppliers earning under $3 million now market more than half their products as sustainable.
- Even the industry giants are getting serious: 83% of suppliers over $100 million have a carbon-reduction plan, and almost all (100%) have a dedicated team focused on sustainability.
Translation: The “nice to have” era is over. In its place, we have the “please don’t tag us in that exposé” era.
Gen Z and millennials are the most sustainability-minded consumers in modern history – and they’re bringing that same expectation to their workplaces. Companies that don’t back up green claims with real data, credible audits or circular packaging strategies risk being left behind faster than last season’s branded stress balls.
Why It Matters
Corporate buyers are under pressure to show measurable progress on sustainability. Whether they’re calculating emissions, mapping clear and transparent supply chains or replacing single-use packaging, their promotional spend is now part of their ESG story.
If you’re a distributor or supplier still treating sustainability as a side hustle, the latest data offers a wake-up call. Seventy-five percent of mid-sized suppliers ($10M-$25M) already have circular packaging policies, and 65% are conducting environmental or social audits like SMETA or Higg FEM.
Elizabeth Wimbush, CAS
Director of Sustainability & Responsibility, PPAI
Meanwhile, nearly every top-tier distributor participates in charitable or community initiatives, proving that “give-back” isn’t just a tagline, it’s now a competitive advantage.
And yet, the biggest opportunity might be talent. Because here’s the plot twist: Sustainability doesn’t just win customers – it keeps employees.
Purpose With The Paycheck
The same PPAI State of Responsibility study found that about a quarter of supplier workforces are now under 30. Matt Rubin, director of strategy for Blue Generation, PPAI 100’s No. 20 supplier, noted that the younger talent pool is driving innovation and pushing the company forward. “This mix of seasoned experience and fresh perspectives helps us adapt quickly to market expectations around sustainability and innovation,” he told PPAI Media.
That’s not an isolated trend. Across the industry, younger employees are looking for companies that walk their talk, from carbon-reduction plans to strong, people-first cultures. If your brand promise reads like a Mad Lib of buzzwords – “We’re committed to fill-in-the-blank-ing the planet through our fill-in-the-blank initiative” – don’t be surprised when your interns ghost you for a Certified B Corp.
RELATED: Elizabeth Wimbush, CAS: 24 Ideas Making The PPAI Expo More Sustainable
In a talent market where flexibility, impact and ethics carry as much weight as salary, responsibility isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing. As one industry exec put it, “Responsibility is moving from initiative to expectation.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because the next generation of workers grew up recycling before they could spell it.
Bridging The Generation Gap
Each generation in promo wants something a little different, and that’s fine. Gen Z wants meaning. Millennials want balance. Gen X wants someone to explain what a “digital product passport” is. The trick is designing programs and workplaces that speak to them all.
That might mean offering transparent data on recycled content, adding a carbon offset option to client orders or showing employees how their ideas translate into measurable impact. Small actions add up, and so do perceptions. Remember: For a generation raised on TikTok, authenticity has a 15-second attention window.
So, what do younger generations want from the promotional products industry? The same thing they want from their coffee and sneakers – accountability, creativity and maybe compostable packaging.
They’re not just your next buyers, they’re your next brand managers, sustainability officers and CEOs. Ignore their values and you risk becoming the Blockbuster of branded merch. Listen to them, and you’ll find that sustainability isn’t a cost center – it’s a talent magnet, a sales differentiator and a long-term survival strategy.
Sustainability doesn’t replace what makes promo powerful. It simply ensures our impact lasts for all the right reasons.
Wimbush, CAS, is the director of sustainability and responsibility at PPAI.
