About us
Are you a company or an organization that gives out goodie bags?Are you interested in them being more sustainable?
We at Toteable are here to make this process easier for you. On this website we have hand- picked a selection of sustainable alternatives of common objects found in goodie bags, ranging from pens to USBs. For each object we offer different options that vary in price and we provide an estimation of its environmental impact. Alongside these tangible products we have a special selection of non-physical gift options. These options vary from a yoga-class voucher to an audio-book gift card are thought of as ideal options for both physical- and nonphysical gatherings. We highly recommend integrating this selection of services since gifting a non- physical object is the best sustainable alternative. Not only is it environmentally friendly, but gifting a tailor- made experience is fun and can leave a longer lasting positive impression on the receiver. |
To avoid the goodie bag ending immediately in the garbage bin, we recommend following these actions:
- Allow the receiver the choice to leave some if not all objects behind, therefore not to receive the gifts since they may already have similar objects at home and therefore not use the gifted one.
- Think of the practicality of the object, considering the needs of the receiver.
- Choose objects that have the least environmental impact and consider all steps in the production of the object. From the raw materials to least mile transport.
- Choose local products when possible.
- Choose products you can give on multiple occasions. Stay away from printing single dates or events on products which makes them “outdated” afterwards.
- If some of the receivers are flying in and out, make sure that the objects are airport-friendly (for example: consider the size of the water bottle you are about to give)
- If you chose a refillable/ recyclable object, also include information on those steps to make sure that the objects have a prolonged/ renewed lifetime.
- Include information on the sustainable objects you chose to inform the receiver of the thoughts behind the choices and consider the positive influence you could have on their consumer pattern.
Why?
Each object bought or given away includes raw material - natural resources like trees, gas, oil, metal ores, water and fertile land. Those materials have been extracted, processed, transformed, bought and sold, taxed and subsided and often shifted across waste distances.
From 1970 to 2010 our natural resource consumption has more than tripled. Overconsumption has worsened climate breakdown and increased air pollution. It depletes the planet’s life support system like the ones that provide us with fresh water and leaves us short of materials critical to our health and quality of life.
Each object bought or given away includes raw material - natural resources like trees, gas, oil, metal ores, water and fertile land. Those materials have been extracted, processed, transformed, bought and sold, taxed and subsided and often shifted across waste distances.
From 1970 to 2010 our natural resource consumption has more than tripled. Overconsumption has worsened climate breakdown and increased air pollution. It depletes the planet’s life support system like the ones that provide us with fresh water and leaves us short of materials critical to our health and quality of life.
In the selection of these products and in the project in general we refer to several SDG’s:
Nr. 3: Good health and well being; by promoting services that influence health and well being in a positive way. Nr. 6: Clean water and sanitation: by avoiding chemical products, colouring as well as processes that require large amounts of water. (Here at the Toteable site we support the minimal use of harmful chemical products that are needed. As an example we advocate for a water based printing which reduces the amount of water needed and does not pollute the water) Nr. 8: Decent work and economic growth: by choosing products that are fair-trade, made locally, in socially conscious environments. (We advocate for ethical economic growth, that's why we chose to support fair trade products and locally made products that are produced in a socially conscious environment.) Nr. 12: Responsible consumption and production; by choosing responsibly made products. ( We at toteable support using products that are produced in an ecological friendly matter. Besides that we chose to support reusable products to reduce the amount of single use products.) Nr. 13: Climate action: by promoting locally produced products, non- physical products, biodegradable ones, multi- use ones, and ones made out of eco- friendly materials. Link to the SDG goals |
Who are we?
We are a group of environmentally conscious business students at AMS (Antwerp Management School) who joined forces to rethink goodie bags. Our backgrounds vary from bio-scenic engineering, marketing, business, art, industrial engineering and law.
We are a group of environmentally conscious business students at AMS (Antwerp Management School) who joined forces to rethink goodie bags. Our backgrounds vary from bio-scenic engineering, marketing, business, art, industrial engineering and law.