When it comes to the carbon impact of various marketing mediums, there’s an inclination to assume that digital and other intangible forms of advertising would have a smaller footprint than channels where physical products are created and distributed.

But a new third-party, data-led study commissioned by ASI, PPAI and European promo partners pokes holes in such assumptions. In fact, promotional products are among the most carbon-efficient options, compared to five other advertising channels.

Promo’s carbon impact per memorized impression (or brand recall tied to a particular advertising channel) is actually eight times smaller than digital advertising, the independent study concludes.

For longtime advocates of the market’s push toward greater sustainability, such as Danny Rosin, president of certified B Corp distributor Brand Fuel (asi/145025), the findings represent a firm, welcomed counter against assumptions about the industry.

“This research gives the promo industry something it has long needed – credible data that puts sustainability claims into real context.” Tim Andrews, ASI

“I held my breath for the outcome of this study,” says Rosin, also the board chair of PPAI. “It positions branded merch as a smart choice for brands looking to balance performance and sustainability. The PPAI and ASI research collaboration sends an important signal about industry leadership and transparency. This is a step in the longer journey toward improving accuracy and impact as well as responsible growth.”

These aren’t zealous leaps from Rosin or others briefed on early results. It’s right there in the data.

Branded merch, the study says, “can deliver meaningful brand impact with comparatively low carbon emissions.” Perhaps even more significant are the implications for the industry’s future: “As the advertising market moves toward net zero, promotional products have a clear opportunity to lead, offering tangible, enduring and low-carbon brand connections that align commercial impact with environmental responsibility.”

The study, carried out by U.K.-based climate platform 51toCarbonZero, reinforces the message and mission of organizations like ASI and PPAI: that promo products are effective – and efficient – vehicles for creating meaningful brand connections.

“This research gives the promo industry something it has long needed – credible data that puts sustainability claims into real context,” said Tim Andrews, president and CEO of ASI. “By using actual sales data from large U.S. and European distributors and established carbon tracking tools, the study shows how promo products compare to other major advertising channels based on measurable impact rather than assumptions. That level of transparency benefits brands, marketers and the entire industry.”

Drew Holmgreen, president and CEO of PPAI, agreed: “Across both U.S. and European markets, this study clearly demonstrates that branded merchandise delivers strong marketing impact with a significantly lower carbon footprint than other major media channels. These results reinforce what we’ve long known – that merch is an effective, sustainable and highly valued part of the marketing mix.”

“These results reinforce what we’ve long known – that merch is an effective, sustainable and highly valued part of the marketing mix.”Drew Holmgreen, PPAI

Holmgreen also highlighted the significance of industry alliances to help move the needle when it comes to sustainability initiatives. “Our collaboration with partners like ASI and the European Associations Cooperative was essential in producing this rigorous analysis, and it supports our shared mission to elevate merch as a core strategic channel for every brand,” Holmgreen said. “With data now confirming its positive environmental performance, PPAI is even more committed to championing our vision that branded merch powers lasting connections.”

Global promo leaders were also enthusiastic about the study’s implications.

“This collective carbon footprint data and comparative media study both mark an unprecedented level of global collaboration throughout the promo industry,” said Florence Mosnier, the 2024 Counselor International Person of the Year and general manager of the International Partnership for Premiums and Gifts, a cooperative of leading promo companies across 35 countries. “We’re happy and proud to see so many people answer the call to become changemakers and working together to future-proof our industry.”

Breaking Down the Findings

In addition to promo, 51toCarbonZero analyzed the impact of five other media channels: out-of-home advertising, such as billboards and transit ads; digital advertising, such as social media, display banners and search ads; TV; radio; and print. Across all metrics measured, branded merch emerged as one of the lowest carbon impact channels, thanks to strong impressions and recall levels.

One area where promo performed particularly well was in measuring average carbon impact against memorized impressions. The combined U.S.-European results show branded merchandise outperforming all channels except for out-of-home advertising. In the U.S., out-of-home and promo have the same average grams of CO2 equivalent – 0.7 – per memorized impression.

Grams (or metric tons) of CO2 equivalent is a standard unit of measure in carbon reporting, noted Theo Drijver, climate director at 51toCarbonZero. Though carbon dioxide is the most common greenhouse gas, there are many others associated with climate change, so to simplify and streamline reporting, all emissions are converted into “carbon equivalent,” he added.

For context, the average passenger vehicle emits about 400 grams of CO2 equivalent per mile, according to the EPA. And charging a smartphone generates about 2 grams of CO2 equivalent.

The fact that promo ranks as one of the lowest carbon impact channels per impression is a big deal and an encouraging sign, according to Laura Smith, director of sustainability and compliance at Storm Creek (asi/89879), an Eagan, MN-based apparel supplier that’s a certified B Corp and recently earned bluesign PRODUCT certification for dozens of styles.

“It makes sense – these products stick around, get used and deliver impressions over time, which spreads out their footprint,” Smith added.

Counselor Power 50 member Ben Grossman, co-president of Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205) and founder of SwagCycle, points to “an important behavioral component,” that helps explain the results, noting that research from both ASI and PPAI has consistently shown that people keep promo items because they’re “useful, relevant or emotionally resonant.”

Grossman, a member of ASI’s Promo for the Planet advisory board, added: “When an item earns a place in someone’s daily life, it stops feeling like advertising and starts functioning more like a utility.”

Promo also performed well when carbon emissions were measured on a per-campaign basis. The U.S.-Europe combined data shows promo second only to out-of-home advertising. Generating an average of 0.39 metric tons of carbon equivalent per campaign, promo is more than twice as efficient as digital advertising. TV campaigns, which generate an average of 7.83 metric tons of carbon equivalent, are about 20 times more carbon intensive than promo.

In the U.S. specifically, branded merch was more efficient than in Europe, generating 0.21 metric tons of carbon equivalent on average per campaign. The difference has to do with Europe’s more cost-efficient media buying, according to 51toCarbonZero: Lower cost per impression enables campaigns to achieve greater reach with the same budget in Europe, which then generates more emissions through expanded distribution.

The per-campaign data jibes with what Counselor Top 40 supplier Goldstar (asi/73295) has been seeing, backing up its own internal efforts to improve material choices, encourage investment in renewable energy and optimize logistics to reduce upstream transport emissions.

“When products are thoughtfully designed, durable and used over time, they can generate thousands of impressions across their lifetime, significantly reducing the overall carbon intensity of a campaign,” said Heather Smartt, global head of Goldstar and a member of the Counselor Power 50 list of the most influential people in promo.

In terms of average carbon intensity per dollar spent, promo products are on par with digital advertising. The combined U.S.-European data finds that both channels generate an average of 0.2 grams of carbon equivalent per U.S. dollar spent.

For David Geiger, president of Counselor Top 40 distributor Geiger (asi/202900) and a Power 50 member, the takeaway is clear: “Sustainability and effectiveness can coexist,” he said. “Because our supply chain is highly controllable, from materials and manufacturing to transport and end of life, promotional products are uniquely positioned to deliver low-carbon, high-impact brand engagement.”

The Hidden (Carbon) Cost

The finding that’s perhaps most surprising to outsiders is that promo performs so well compared to digital advertising. After all, one might naturally consider that promo comprises physical items and digital doesn’t. Ultimately, however, it’s not that simple when it comes to the carbon calculation. Even digital advertising has hidden carbon costs associated with its production.

“It kind of counters what people might think,” Drijver of 51toCarbonZero said. “How can merchandising be better than something where you don’t create a product? Surely creating something is worse than not creating something, but it’s all the stuff behind [what you see] and the longevity that you have to take into consideration.”

As Elizabeth Wimbush, director of sustainability and responsibility at PPAI noted, there’s plenty you don’t see in the carbon conversation.

“Something worth pointing out regarding digital media – with increasing reliance on AI and the data centers necessary to power cloud-based computing and storage, it’s important to be cognizant of the carbon emissions that fly largely under the radar,” Wimbush said.

The AI factor is likely to become more prevalent in coming years, she added. Trends suggest that AI will become even more widely adopted in digital advertising, meaning a greater reliance on carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the promo community is making efforts to lower its carbon footprint.

Additionally, the study’s data accounts for the impact of the medium. As digital becomes a more crowded, quick-hit channel with a potentially short shelf life, promo is tangible and intended to be long-lasting. One single promotional product can go a long way.

In that sense, this study represents an important starting point for many within the industry because it provides data that backs up a notion they had assumed to be true, having seen items of promo making outsized impacts relative to what it takes to create them.

“This study reinforces what many of us have felt intuitively for years: When done well, merchandise isn’t just a product, it’s a media channel,” said Joseph Sommer, CEO of Whitestone (asi/359741) and a member of the Counselor Power 50. “One that builds connection, belonging and memorability. The study excites me because now we have data showing it can do so with a comparatively low carbon footprint. That combination should push our industry to rethink how impact is measured and how we communicate our value more broadly.”

Drijver simply points toward the language of the metrics.

“Merchandising [promo] has a good memorization rate,” Drijver says. “Compare something you see on TikTok for 10 seconds versus something you have on a hoodie for 10 years.”

What’s To Come: ‘Only Part of the Story’

The positive findings in this study are the result of more than just the inherent impact of promo and its measurable data in carbon intensity. They are at least partially a product of the work within the promo community by professionals who have strived in small and large ways to minimize the industry’s carbon footprint.

To them especially, this data isn’t a decisive victory. Instead, it’s a snapshot of possibilities.

“What I don’t want to happen is for people who maybe aren’t highly literate with sustainability to look at this and think, ‘Cool, we’re doing great. We don’t need to improve anything,’” said Andrew Kelly, ESG compliance manager at Counselor Top 40 distributor Overture Promotions (asi/288473) and a member of the Promo for the Planet advisory board, as well as a member of PPAI’s Sustainability Action Group.

Kelly reiterated the need for data sharing to collect the information required to understand how our industry fares and where improvements can be made. There is far more in-depth carbon data that can be learned about the industry with more companies’ participation.

“For studies like this or for companies to take advantage of this type of information, data availability is super important,” Kelly said. “We’re seeing a lot of demands from customers when it comes to product carbon and shipping emissions. The more available that information is, the better for all of us.”

It’s also crucial to note that “carbon is only part of the story,” Smith, of Storm Creek, said. Factors like low-impact materials, ethical sourcing and a product’s end of life need to be taken into account.

“Our ad medium has a very real impact that other ad mediums don’t bear in the same way,” said Caity Baumann, senior director of business development and head of sustainability at distributor Counselor Top 40 distributor BDA (asi/137616). “If we are going to use sustainability as a competitive factor, we must own, account for and innovate on responsible end of life for products.”

When it comes to promo’s current carbon footprint and taking actionable steps toward lowering it, industry leaders like Saadia Bryant, vice president of marketing, product and design at certified B Corp Counselor Top 40 supplier Gemline (asi/56070), suggest several steps: accelerating Scope 3 emission tracking, which represents all emitted greenhouse gas emissions, even indirectly; investing in supply chain traceability and product-level carbon footprint tracking; and standardization of measurements. “The industry would benefit from aligning on shared language and standards around carbon labeling,” Bryant added.

Nick McCulloch, director of ESG at Counselor Top 40 supplier PCNA (asi/66887), agreed that the industry has a growing responsibility to take meaningful action. “By embedding data, accountability and innovation into every operational decision, we’re able to minimize our carbon footprint while accomplishing real progress toward our sustainability goals,” he said. “The more our industry commits to this kind of integrated approach, the more collective impact we can all achieve.”

It would be tempting to see this study as the finish line when it better serves as the starting line. There’s more data to come and more progress to build upon. What the study shows is that independent sources recognize promo can make an impact and do it responsibly.

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