It wasn’t enough.

In January of 2023, I walked out of an industry show full of shiny, new promo products and thought, “It’s not enough.” Great products-not enough. Satisfied customers-not enough. Even a profitable business didn’t feel like enough.

My company had those things but to grow my promotional product and branded apparel biz, I needed more. The business needed to have a positive impact. I needed a purpose.

I found it next door. Next door was a trade show that skewed toward a younger demographic. It was clear that sustainable products and social responsibility were important motivators for both sellers and buyers. Its important to everyone who lives on our planet.

And Wave Promo Products and Apparel (WPP&A) specializing in sustainable swag and responsible suppliers was borne. Or at least the idea of it.

Wave Promo Products and Apparel is a division of Coastal Supply Solutions. For more than 20 years, Coastal has provided workplace supplies to commercial, education and government organizations including promotional products and branded clothing.

Wave Promo Products and Apparel is a new brand presenting our customers with practical choices of sustainable products and responsible suppliers built on Coastal’s solid foundation of top notch service. Wave also intends ro discount the eco-choice to be price competitive with less planet friendly alternatives and to commit to give back to local environmental causes.

But, it turns out we had to learn about what sustainability and responsibility actually mean before we could ride that Wave ourselves.


John Willcox
President
Wave Promo & Apparel

The measure of a “responsible” suppliers can be a moving target. Responsibility can apply all along the supply chain from materials to labor, to shipping and corporate initiatives. We try to work with those who are trying to improve in any of these key areas.

• Materials:
  Not every, or even most promotional products can be made from sustainable materials. Wave uses suppliers who are making a concerted effort to add genuinely eco-friendly and fair trade alternatives so you can make your choice.
• Labor:
  Its not easy to avoid products made by or grown by young or impoverished workers so we lean toward suppliers that overtly address the issues. For example: Our favored T-shirt supplier’s commitments starts with verifying that their cotton is grown and sewn by workers that are fairly treated and equitably paid.
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• Shipping:
  Ships and trucks spew a lot of carbon along the way. That footprint is smaller if the products is made in the USA rather than overseas. Its not easy to find competitive branded goods not made overseas but when we do we’ll give you a choice. Less carbon. More American jobs. We also look for the most carbon efficient transport routes from supplier to customer.
• Corporate Initiatives:
  Lets get real. Most promo products aren’t eco-friendly. However, the companies that make them can work to reduce their impact. For example: Our first choice in promo product suppliers has set a goal to become carbon neutral by two EPA measures by end of 2024 among other significant responsibility initiatives.
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