Creating an Impression with Your Promotional Bags

Published On April 30, 2013
Giving away promotional items not only attracts potential customers, but it also builds a solid brand image for your business. A promotional bag with your logo on it will not only be useful for the recipient, but will also be seen by other people every day. Shopping bags make for fantastic promotional items not only for their practicality, but also because they are cheap to produce and easy to distribute. However, many other companies are already using this strategy, so
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Making Your Promotional Bags More Effective

Published On April 22, 2013
Promotional shopping bags are one of the hottest promotional items out there at the moment, so businesses need to get creative to make their bag stand out from the others. Laptop bags, conference bags and tote bags are some examples of popular promotional bags, but you need to choose one that best represents your business. For example, if you’re running a retail grocery store, then canvas shopping bags are representative of your business. Finding a bag that represents the type
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How to Launch a New Product Properly

Published On April 15, 2013
If you have a product that you think is ready to be launched, then you need to ensure that it’s launched correctly. A good design and a decent price alone won’t make your product a success, so here are the steps you need to take to get your product off the ground: Promoting your product is key for a successful launch. Use products such as promotional bags, pens and so forth, in combination with social media and other traditional forms
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Creating an Effective Customer Loyalty Program

Published On April 8, 2013
These days, technological innovations have made consumers even more savvy than ever. So when it comes to marketing strategies like loyalty programs, businesses must work extra hard to please the evolving customer. To create an effective loyalty program, smart marketers should keep the following points in mind: Modern customers will consolidate their purchasing under the loyalty programs that give them the most relevant rewards, so offer options for earning and redeeming tailored rewards. Never take hard-earned points away from customers
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Wash Reusable Grocery Bags to avoid food contamination

Published On March 30, 2013
Banning the use of plastic disposable shopping  bags in California has had an unexpected consequence: a spike in deaths in San Francisco, caused from E. coli food poisoning, according to a report published by the Food Poisoning Bulletin. According to researchers, Jonathan Klick and Joshua D. Wright, both hospital admissions and deaths from E. coli spiked in San Francisco almost immediately following the first phase of that city’s Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance went into effect in October 2007.  Deaths from
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Plastic Bags clog drains and pollute the water

Published On March 23, 2013
The Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA), has called for a statewide ban on plastic disposable bags. It issued a statement urging city governments that have not already done so to approve such bans, following the counties of both Santa Clara and San Mateo, that have both banned the use of plastic bags in unincorporated areas. BASMAA representatives say that plastic bags lead to water pollution, increased litter and stormwater drain issues. “In a baseline survey of Bay Area
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IKEA to stop disposable plastic bags in Singapore

Published On March 17, 2013
IKEA announced that it will stop selling plastic disposable shopping bags in its stores in Singapore, from 23 March, 2013. IKEA first announced six years ago that disposable plastic bags would be supplied for a charge, with the proceeds from the sales donated to fund eco-education programs run by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).  Since then, it has donated close to S$550,000 to support conservation programmes.  The money was raised from 18 million pieces of plastic bags that
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North Bay Politician calling for ban on plastic shopping bags

Published On March 10, 2013
Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, says it’s time for California to adopt a statewide ban on plastic bags similar to ones already in place in several Bay Area cities.  He is confident that he can persuade his colleagues in Sacramento to support the nation’s first statewide ban of disposable plastic shopping bags. Newly elected Levine said that a ban is necessary because the bags are not recyclable, they were being sent to landfills where they can take up to 1,000
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Inner West Residents Lead the Way With Christmas Leftover Recycling

Published On February 23, 2013
According to figures from Planet Ark, Sydney’s inner-west residents are ahead of the game when it comes to finding ways to recycle Christmas lunch leftovers and unwanted presents during the holiday season. Out of the $10 billion Australians spend on food every December, more than 35 per cent is thrown away, according to its website statistics. This year, however, there were spikes in online recycling research by residents in inner-west local government areas, as residents looked for ways to recycle
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Environment Minister Thwarts Attempts to Rid Plastic Bags in Queensland

Published On February 16, 2013
According to Environment Minister Andrew Powell, the cost implications of going bag-free are a larger concern than the environmental implications. Australians use four billion lightweight plastic bags every year, prompting a petition from Queenslanders to ban the bags at retail sale points in the state by the end of 2012. “The government does not want to be in the position of having removed one cost to Queenslanders in the form of the levy only to introduce a new scheme that
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Central Coast Environment Groups Get Serious About Marine Litter

Published On February 9, 2013
Environmental groups on the Central Coast are optimistic about their efforts to battle marine litter. Representatives from a wide variety of environmental organisations came together recently to put on a workshop to help people find ways to fight litter in and around their local waterways. Groups such as Ocean and Coastal Care Initiatives, Central Coast Marine Discovery Centre, Take 3, Gosford Council, Kariong Eco Garden and Central Coast Waterwatch attracted large crowds. The workshops were coordinated by the Hunter-Central Rivers
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Healthy Harbour Program to Quiet Development Fears

Published On February 2, 2013
The recently announced Healthy Harbour program was set up by the state government in Queensland in order to monitor any water-quality issues that may arise from a second shipping channel. The state government has finalised its terms of reference for the Gladstone Ports Corporation to follow as it works on the environmental impact assessment for the duplicate of the Gladstone shipping channel. The project has attracted a lot of criticism, as it will involve side-scale dredging, which causes poor water
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How to Effectively Exhibit at Trade Shows Without Breaking the Bank

Published On January 30, 2013
While trade shows can help promote your small business, it is quite expensive to attend them. Fortunately, it’s possible to have an effective trade show exhibit without putting your small business into debt. Some of the major costs associated with trade show exhibits include: designing and constructing the booth, equipment, promotional items, setup costs, space rental, utilities, staffing the booth and promoting your presence at the show. Don’t let these expenses turn you off, however, because the benefits of attending
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Delhi Seeks a Solution to Plastic Bag Epidemic

Published On January 22, 2013
Delhi generates almost 250,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year, according to Toxics Link, an environmental NGO. That means that over 10 million plastic bags are used and discarded daily by the 16 million residents. Not only do these bags clutter the streets and parks of the city, but they also pose health risks to animals and humans because of the toxins contained in the bags. In response to these issues, the city’s Chief Minister Sheila Dixit wants to ban
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Can Celebrities Help You Promote Your Products?

Published On January 14, 2013
When it comes to promoting products, especially designer clothing and accessories, no one can do it better than A-list celebrities. Toronto handbag designer Jessica Jensen experienced this first hand when she placed her products in the Tastemasters Lounge at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is where celebrities can drop by and choose free gifts or “swag.” While getting products into these swag lounges isn’t cheap, it can really pay off if celebrities then use the products, as they did
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Randwick Offers Incentives for Recycling

Published On January 7, 2013
Even if saving the environment isn’t their primary concern, Randwick residents are still helping thanks to a new recycling scheme that rewards residents when they put recyclable rubbish into their yellow bins. The pilot scheme, run by GreenMoney, hopes that $5 dollar coupons will encourage residents to recycle and reduce the amount of waste going to the landfill, such as by using reusable shopping bags. GreenMoney’s Camilla Cooke said that for each kilogram of rubbish in the recycling bin, the
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Recycling Saves 25,000 Tonnes of Waste From Lismore Landfill

Published On December 30, 2012
The town of Lismore is celebrating after recycling 64 per cent, or almost two thirds, of their household waste. Kevin Trustum, the City Council’s waste operations coordinator, said that 64 per cent works out to be over 25,000 tonnes of waste that has been saved in the last year. He also mentioned that the town’s rate of recycling has improved by 10 per cent from the previous financial year. “The increase in recycling rates results from a reduction in commercial
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Western Australia Commits to Reducing Landfill Waste by 50 Per Cent

Published On December 22, 2012
Western Australia has taken a large step recently towards its goal of reducing landfill waste. Environment Minister Bill Marmion has officially approved the Waste Authority’s business plan to boost the state’s rate of recycling by 20 per cent over the next five years. This means that more than 50 per cent of the state’s waste would be recycled. Marmion, who has allotted $17.2 million in funding for the plan’s first year, said, “The state’s first waste strategy, Creating the Right
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Styromelt Thermal Densifier Technology Helps Recycle EPS Packaging

Published On December 14, 2012
Ferret, Australia’s manufacturing, industrial and mining directory, has been focusing a lot lately on finding practical ways for manufacturers to reduce packaging use and use more environmentally sustainable packaging materials in warehouses, factories and distribution centres. In addition to solutions such as using sustainably sourced raw materials and reusable bags, they are also keen to emphasise the benefits of considering what happens to the packaging during the disposal process. When it comes to conventional Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam packs, Ferret says
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Wendy Harmer Takes Action Against Excessive Packaging

Published On December 7, 2012
Wendy Harmer, Editor-in-Chief of The Hoopla, is against excessive packaging, especially when it comes to food. Lollies wrapped in multiple layers of packaging, cheese slices that are individually wrapped, and plastic casings that require secateurs to open are the bane of her existence, and it makes her deeply concerned. Of course, this trend is seen not just for food and product wrappers, but also in many other aspects of the home. For example, so many people have cupboards full of
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Bali Pushes for a Future That is Free From Plastic Bags

Published On November 30, 2012
Carrefour Supermarkets and the Bali Regeneration Foundation (Yayasan Regenerasi Bali) have joined forces and committed to taking steps to eliminate the use of plastic shopping bags. This action comes in light of governor Made Mangku Pastika’s goal to make Bali plastic free. Starting on July 1, 2012, shoppers at Carrefour were encouraged to bring their own reusable shopping bags, or were given the option to buy plastic bags or bring plastic bags from home. Gerardus Gemuruh, the general manager of Carrefour
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Eco Bags Make Packing Lunch Fun and Environmentally Friendly

Published On November 22, 2012
You’ll never have to put another sandwich in a plastic baggie again with the wave of new fun, eco-friendly options for bagging your lunch. Itzy Ritzy and Lunch-Skins2, which can both be found at Target, are the most popular versions of the new mini eco bag, but you can also purchase a variety of cute handmade reusable lunch bags on Etsy. The reusable, washable and fashionable bags come in plenty of great patterns, too, such as ladybugs, sharks, stripes and polka
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Students Determined to Banish Plastic Bags from Town

Published On November 14, 2012
Grade five students from a primary school in Emerald have taken it upon themselves to see that their town goes plastic bag-free. As part of their EmFSus4Kids program, the students have come up with a competition to see which five businesses in their town will be the first to go completely plastic-bag free. The task, led by their teacher Leigh Johnson and Lee Fuller from EmFSus (Emerald For Sustainability), is going to be a difficult one, but the students are
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New Lunch Bag Helps Elite Fit in With Working Class Lunch Crowd

Published On November 9, 2012
How much do you want to stand out in the office lunchroom? Or perhaps more to the point, how much do you want to fit in? With the new Vasari Bag from Jil Sander men’s A/W 12 collection, you can do just that. This new designer bag is a “long rectangular silhouette and is crafted from coated paper” and looks strikingly similar to a regular, run-of-the-mill paper lunch bag. While they can easily be considered eco-friendly bags, which is good,
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The Simplest Marketing Ideas in History

Published On October 15, 2012
The simplest ideas are quite often also the best, and this has certainly been the case in marketing throughout the years, with the following ideas easily among the simplest and most effective marketing ideas ever. Business cards Having a way to easily distribute your business contact information to those all-important connections and customers -- and anyone else who wants it -- is a smart idea for any business, so it is little wonder that business cards have become so hugely
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