It’s that time of year when branded merchandise companies begin releasing their environmental, social and governance or sustainability impact reports.
These reports highlight merch firms’ corporate social responsibility achievements over the past year as well as establish new goals for the next year and beyond.
“The increase in these reports shows the maturing of the industry’s CSR efforts – a continued focus on verified data that supports sustainability claims and demonstrates the commitments these companies have to being transparent,” says Elizabeth Wimbush, CAS, director of sustainability and responsibility at PPAI. “The spirit of continuous growth and improvement is worth celebrating!”
Below are the most recent impact reports that PPAI Media has received. For inclusion in this list, please send your report to Deputy Editor John Corrigan at johnc@ppai.org.
‘A Force For Good’
Botanical PaperWorks (PPAI 674278, Standard-Base) has shared its 2025 Impact Report, which highlights its progress throughout the past year and momentum heading into 2026 and beyond.
Among the highlights, the Certified B Corp recycled over 36,000 pounds of paper waste into seed paper, improved carbon emissions reporting accuracy and launched a give-back program to raise funds for Earth Day Canada.
Kyle Kannwischer
CEO/Co-Owner, Botanical PaperWorks
“At Botanical PaperWorks, we remain committed to our mission, which guides our decisions, shapes our priorities and reminds us that business can be a force for good,” says Kyle Kannwischer, CEO & co-owner of Botanical PaperWorks.
See the full 2025 Impact Report here.
Storm Creek’s Sustainable Commitments & Employee Well-Being
Storm Creek’s (PPAI 438091, Gold), PPAI’s No. 33 supplier, released its detailed 2025 Responsibility Report to celebrate Earth Day. The report went in depth into what goes into the work behind its commitment to meeting B Corp and EcoVadis scores and KPIs, providing full transparency regarding the work that is still left to accomplish.
A few key highlights include:
- Storm Creek disclosed an employee Net Promoter Score (measuring employee engagement and willingness to recommend their company to others) of an impressive +27.
- 100% of materials were classified as responsible materials and 94% of styles were made using recycled materials.
- 71.3 million plastic bottles recycled through 2025.
- A breakdown of environmental and social commitments, including EcoVadis Gold, Certified B Corp and bluesign SYSTEM PARTNER.
- Headquarters runs on 100% renewable energy.
You can read the full report here.
Gemline’s betterway
Gemline (PPAI 113948, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 13 supplier, has released its 2025 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. Guided by its betterway framework, Gemline is advancing its commitment to responsible business practices through expanded product innovation, increased transparency and measurable progress across its People, Planet, and Product pillars.
Highlights include:
- Gemline continued to expand its use of preferred materials, with 71% of new products introduced in 2025 incorporating company-defined preferred materials with lower environmental impact.
- The company also advanced toward its goal of eliminating harmful substances, achieving a 99% PVC-free product line and 100% PFAS-free product line.
- Gemline expanded product-level carbon footprint tracking for its owned brands, increasing Scope 3 emissions coverage across tracked SKUs by 27%, and enabling more complete visibility across the product lifecycle.
- Gemline increased its use of Aware traceability technology by 100%, helping verify recycled material content and strengthening transparency across the supply chain.
- At its Lawrence, Massachusetts-based headquarters, approximately 47% of electricity was generated from solar energy. The company also maintained zero waste to landfill for the seventh consecutive year, and reduced waste sent to energy recovery by 20%.
Frank Carpenito
President/CEO, Gemline
In 2025, Gemline contributed more than $563,000 to support its charitable partnerships, including national organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and SeriousFun Children’s Network, as well as local nonprofits like the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, and Junior Achievement.
“Our commitment to corporate social responsibility continues to evolve as we raise expectations for ourselves and our industry,” says Frank Carpenito, president and CEO of Gemline. “Through our betterway framework, we are expanding our portfolio of products that meet defined betterway accountability standards, increasing transparency and equipping our distributor partners with the tools they need to help their clients achieve their sustainability and responsibility goals.”
You can find the full report here.
HPG Renews EcoVadis Platinum Rating
HPG (PPAI 110772, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 4 supplier, has announced the release of its latest Annual Sustainability Report, showcasing continued leadership in sustainable business practices and a series of impactful initiatives.
Among the report’s key highlights, HPG has achieved EcoVadis Platinum certification for the second consecutive year. This distinction places HPG among the top 1% of companies globally for sustainability performance, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability.
“Being recognized among the top 1% of companies globally is a testament to what’s possible when an entire organization is aligned around a shared purpose. I’m incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished,” says Jing Rong, vice president of supply chain and sustainability at HPG.
Chris Anderson
CEO, HPG
Two years ago, the company transitioned Origaudio’s best-selling Boxanne speaker to recycled plastic, without increasing the price, demonstrating that sustainability and affordability can go hand in hand. This Earth Day, HPG is announcing a major new commitment: Hub will transition its best-selling Javalina pen family to recycled plastic by 2028. This initiative will impact more than 60 million pens annually, significantly reducing virgin plastic use at scale.
“Our sustainability journey is rooted in action, not just intention,” says HPG CEO Chris Anderson. “From achieving EcoVadis Platinum status to rethinking materials across our most popular products, and practices across our global enterprise, we are committed to making meaningful changes that benefit our customers, communities and the planet.”
Read the full report here.
Expanded Traceability
Goldstar (PPAI 114031, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 16 supplier, has released its 2025 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report.
Highlights from the report include:
- 56% of management roles held by women
- 99% of paper-based packaging and wood-fiber product lines now FSC certified
- Expanded traceability through Digital Product Passports supported by Aware Tracer technology
- Ongoing transition away from PVC and polystyrene across product lines
Read the full report here.
Reducing Carbon Emissions
Business services member Hohenstein (PPAI 826747), a global testing and research provider, has published its 2025 sustainability report, outlining its goal to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 compared with a 2023 baseline. More than 80% of the company’s emissions fall under Scope 3, primarily from upstream supply chains, highlighting the importance of procurement and partner engagement in achieving reductions.
Highlighted 2025 reductions and statistics include:
- 7,045 kg CO₂e reduction using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) via DHL GoGreen Plus
- 5,258 kg CO₂e reduction through expanded low-emission shipping options
- Transition to 100% renewable electricity at the U.S. location
- Preparation for a phased shift to all hybrid and electric vehicles
- More than 14,000 companies use Hohenstein’s sustainability services, such as OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN and global protocol development, that are designed to support transparency and provide verifiable information on product safety and responsible manufacturing practices.
“Sustainability requires measurable action, especially across complex supply chains,” said CEO Stefan Droste. “We take responsibility seriously by focusing on practical steps that improve transparency and reduce impact in our own operations and customers’. Through testing, certification and practice-oriented consulting, we support a future that is socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.”
Read the full report here.
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Here Comes The Money
SwagCycle, which helps companies repurpose, recycle and donate their obsolete branded merchandise in a sustainable way, has released its 2025 Impact Report. Ben Grossman, co-president of distributor Grossman Marketing Group, is the founder of SwagCycle.
- In 2025, the company facilitated nearly $9 million in charitable donations and kept nearly a million products out of landfills.
- As a result, SwagCycle has kept a total of 3.3 million items out of landfills since launching in 2019.
“We intend to expand our services globally over the coming years, replicating the charitable and recycling networks we’ve built in the United States to serve companies operating across multiple continents,” the company says in its report. “We’ve already completed significant international donation projects, from the Meta/Facebook donation to Giving World in the UK supporting Ukrainian refugees, to ongoing partnerships across North America, and we’re ready to scale this work.
“We also plan to carefully expand our recycling and upcycling services, which help underwrite the charitable work we’re so deeply passionate about. Every recycling project creates revenue that allows us to continue facilitating donations and supporting nonprofit partners who are making a real difference in their communities.”
Read the full report here.
Water Conservation
Allmade (PPAI 743984, Standard-Base) has released its 2025 Impact Report.
Among the highlights:
- The company saved over 828 million gallons of water in one year.
- Avoided nearly 4.9 million kilograms of carbon emissions in one year
- Conserved enough energy in 2025 to power 2,235,223,328 hours of LED light
- Recycled 358,377 pounds of plastic
Read the full report here.
Check out the list of 2024 ESG reports from industry companies here.
