Hi everyone!

About a month ago, we introduced you to the incentive market and HHPLIFT’s role within it. Today, we are going to do the same with the promotional products industry (“promo”). 

HHPLIFT is the pioneer and innovator in sourcing social impact products and services for business solutions, with products that help our promo customers’ corporate clients create a culture of caring and deliver purpose to their people. Through the distribution of (1) goods both handcrafted by artisans in the U.S. and abroad, and (2) our in-house LIFT™ and ecoLIFT™ lines, HHPLIFT forges economic independence for people overcoming barriers to fair wage employment.

The promotional products industry is comprised of supplier companies, distributors, and corporations. A distributor (1) devises ideas on how promotional products can and should be used in marketing or promotional campaigns, (2) buys and customizes products from supplier companies that fit those campaigns, and (3) sells them to corporations that then distribute those branded products, with their company logos, to employees or clients. (PPAI.) Promotional products are used in variety of ways, not limited to business gifts, employee recognition and reward programs, orientation programs, corporate communications, public awareness campaigns, brand loyalty, and co-op programs. Id.

We are a supplier company in the promotional products industry: one that was built on purpose, in 2006, and continues to deliver purpose with each order. We curate, craft, and offer sustainable social impact products and services that create job opportunities and more. And as we’ve talked about in previous blogs, purpose is a growing trend in every industry, heightened in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and among the newest generation entering the workforce.

Whether it’s through our in-house LIFT™ and ecoLIFT™ lines, our kitting & assembly and fulfillment services, or our social enterprise partners’ products from the U.S. and abroad, sustainability is more than just a buzzword. Our eco-conscious social impact products are environmentally friendly and create social sustainability for artisans, crafters, and our LIFT™ Program associates.

Now, let us tell you about our social enterprise partners that we are honored to work with. All of which produce environmentally- and socially- sustainable, handcrafted, on-trend, brandable products that do good.

Our social enterprise partner in India makes bowls from recycled iron washers. They embrace its area’s long-standing tradition of brass work: an art form that has been passed down through generations, with more than half of the city’s population of 700,000 in the brass work industry. However, they actively work to combat the inequalities that have existed within that industry for years by striving to change the foundation of the exporter-artisan relationship. Their artisans are provided: fair wages that are 10%-15% higher than local standards; healthcare; education; clean water; profit sharing; and capacity building initiatives that directly benefit them, their families, and factory workers.

Our social enterprise partner in Sri Lanka was founded with a mission to produce eco-conscious goods with a minimal impact on the environment, by crafting products that are comprised of a variety of natural discards, upcycled wood, and recycled handmade paper. They’ve made a promise to continue exploring ways to lessen the negative impact that the production of goods has on the environment, and this is seen through their journals. The paper is handmade by their in-house team of artisans and the wood covers and backings are constructed by rural craftspersons in the surrounding area.

Our social enterprise partner in Cambodia makes purses, backpacks, travel bags, and accessories from repurposed industrial net–their signature material–and recycled industrial plastic that would otherwise be burnt and released into the air, in addition to upcycled leather. Each product is handcrafted by artisans in Phnom Penh who transform materials that would ordinarily be seen as waste into something beautiful. Their artisans, 80% of whom are women, earn competitive wages & a 13-month annual salary; an 8-hour workday during a 5-day work week–compared to the standard 6-day work week in Cambodia; free childcare and education at an on-site preschool and nursery; healthcare; and professional development.

Our social enterprise partner here in Illinois works with people who are legally blind and provides them with programming surrounding vision rehabilitation, education, employment opportunities, and assistive technology. In addition to their programs, their social enterprise was built on the mission to provide career opportunities to people facing barriers to employment. Their workforce of people who are legally blind assemble their line of clocks that are made with 30% post-consumer recycled content.

Our other social enterprise partner in Illinois utilizes a workforce of people with developmental disabilities to make an assortment of food packages and baked goods. They employ vocational, residential, and recreational programs for its workforce, while also providing housing and the opportunity to create lives of their own. Participants are in a nurturing, learning environment where they are safe and empowered to choose the working and living conditions that are best for them.

And all of the products we craft at our LIFT™ Workshop help provide career development & job opportunities, leadership training, and educational workshops for people overcoming barriers to fair wage employment in Chicago.

HHPLIFT’s products, whether they be our LIFT™ and ecoLIFT™ lines, or goods handcrafted by artisans through our social enterprise partners, are goods that do good and that enable you to Buy What You Believe In.™

Until next time,

The HHPLIFT team

For more information, please contact info@HHPLIFT.com