Me to We Responsible Style reposition promotional 'Swag'

22 Sep '08

5 min read

For decades, companies have used promotional “swag” to reinforce their brand in the minds of their customers. Whether these companies were imprinting golf balls, key rings or tee-shirts, the material or manufacturing processes used to create them was typically of little consequence, until now with the growth of Me to We Responsible Style and its custom apparel and promotional programs.

According to a recent study by the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), just over 70 percent of consumers indicate that knowing a company is mindful of its impact on the environment and society makes them more likely to buy their products or services. This increasing pressure to align one's brand with sustainable manufacturing processes and the use of organic products to stay competitive is why Me to We Responsible Style, an organic, promotional clothing manufacturer, is witnessing growth and beefing up to meet corporate and non-profit organizational demand.

Since its launch in 2005, Me to We Responsible Style has captured the attention of the fashion industry as much for its stylish line of tee-shirts, hoodies, polo shirts and yoga pants as for its positioning as an ethically manufactured, high quality label. Some of the companies offering to their clients and employees the Me to We Responsible Style clothing line include: Suncor, Ernst & Young, DELL Corporation, Sunlawn, and hundreds of schools and non-profits that use them as part of their fundraising efforts.

As a manufacturer of fossil-free push lawn mowers, Sunlawn recognized the value of aligning its brand with another environmentally responsible label. “Our company is 100 percent committed to helping others reduce their environmental footprint. So when we were seeking a t-shirt supplier for a tradeshow promotion we held at LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) it was imperative the company we chose shared our values and whose products were made from sustainable materials and processes,” explained Sunlawn President Terry Jarvis.

“Me to We Responsible Style was a perfect fit. The fact that 50 percent of its profits are donated to charity simply made us enjoy doing business with them all the more.”

Oliver Madison, CEO of Me to We, says that everything the company does, from the fairly traded, certified organic cotton and eco-friendly bamboo textiles used in its products, to its insistence on fair wages and sweat shop-free manufacturing, is centered around what he calls the “Me to We philosophy”, a stated mission to inspire a sense of community through its commitment ethical practices from seed to shelf.

As one of the only clothing companies in North America successfully audited by the Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO), all of Me to We Responsible Style's products are fashionably designed and are produced under ethical conditions, using certified, environmentally-friendly fabrics such as 100 percent organic cotton, bamboo, and recycled polyester. As a partner of Free the Children, the company donates 50 percent of its profits to support the non-profit's work to free children from poverty and exploitation through education and leadership training.

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