Episode 27
Ethical Swag: The Modern and Sustainable Way to do Swag
In this episode of In With the New, Avril speaks with Tara Milburn, founder and CEO of Ethical Swag, about her mission to deliver sustainable, ethically-sourced promotional products.
Tara Milburn is the founder and CEO of Ethical Swag. In this episode, Tara shares her passion for using business as a force for positive change and shares how she started Ethical Swag, a sustainable promotional products company.
Tara founded Ethical Swag to give consumers the option to buy branded promotional products that reflect their brand values. Built into the DNA of the company is a focus on the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. One thing Tara emphasizes is meaningful employment within her company, including providing a fair wage and thinking critically about which suppliers to work with. For Tara, sustainability is not just about the environment or saving the planet. It is about behaving ethically throughout the process of either creating a product or providing a service.
Tara speaks of running a business more holistically, where profit is not the main priority. Unlike many corporations where profitability is the central goal, Tara makes a point to say that building and maintaining trust with customers is very important. This is more so the case when you are selling a sustainable product. Customers need to trust businesses who talk about making a positive change.
Many companies see benefits when distributing sustainable promotional products. Most feel pride within themselves when they are able to share branded products that fit their personal and organizational values. Another benefit is the storytelling aspect that comes with a company like Ethical Swag. For example, customers can choose sustainable products from companies that give back, such as building water wells in rural communities.
Listen in to learn more!
Episode Highlights:
4:03 How sustainability encompasses various elements
6:42 The need to move away from a profit-focused approach
14:44 The concept of categorizing products into Good, Better, and Best
26:11 The challenge of self-funding the growth of Ethical Swag