Everyone Has Reusable Drinkware – Now What?

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As the drinkware market becomes saturated, it’s crucial to inspire end-users to keep and use their branded water bottles time and again.

When that branded drinkware given out at last year’s festival is used just once, then ends up stashed in the back of a cabinet collectin­­­­g dust, how can it ever live up to its reusable potential?

The answer, contends Daniel Cardozo, is that it can’t. The president and CEO of distributor Ethix Merch (asi/189731) and an advisory board member of ASI Media’s Promo for the Planet notes that many popular promo items will never reach, let alone surpass, their environmental payback period – that is, the number of times a consumer must reuse a product for its environmental impact to be equivalent to the impact of the corresponding single-use product.

“There’s this confusion of reusable with sustainable, and they’re two very different things,” Cardozo says. “The simple reason for that is if you’re somebody who goes to five different conferences a year, and at each one you get handed a cotton tote bag, and reusable tumbler or water bottle, you’re canceling out the benefit of that reusable.”

The glut of reusable bags is a topic that has been readily covered by mainstream media in the last decade. What’s not spoken of as often is how it seems everyone has a shelf full of reusable drinkware, meant to replace plastic, single-use bottles. The global reusable drinkware market is expected to reach $10.6 billion by 2028, according to consulting firm Verified Market Research. In the promotional products industry specifically, drinkware ranked second in industry sales (behind T-shirts) last year, accounting for 9.7% – or $2.25 billion – of distributor revenue, according to Counselor’s 2022 State of the Industry report. That’s the largest annual percentage for the category since Counselor first started tracking product data in 2008, a growth that’s been felt by industry leaders.

“There’s no question more and more consumers recognize the value of using reusable drinkware,” says Brandon Bell, incoming president for drinkware supplier ETS Express (asi/51197), an independent subsidiary of Top 40 firm Polyconcept North America (PCNA; asi/78897). “It’s no surprise suppliers in our industry are reacting by adding drinkware to their lineup to capture this growing market.”

Over the long term, reusable drinkware is, of course, a better choice than single-use plastic bottles, which – despite being made of the most widely recyclable plastic – are more likely to end up in a landfill than recycled, and are nearly impossible to biodegrade once they’re there.

However, to reap the benefits of reusable drinkware, it requires high-quality, covetable products that end-users will be happy to refill again and again. There are a number of steps – innovative features, interactive elements, giveback initiatives and high-end design – the promo industry can take to extend a reusable bottle’s lifetime and increase its positive impact on the environment.

Fill it Forward (asi/54161) is a drinkware supplier that offers reusable water bottles made in New York. The supplier has strived to create a mission, model and product rooted in purpose, helping maximize the lifespan and overall impact of reusable bottles, cups and bags. In fact, the company says its reusable Cupanion bottle only has to be used twice to offset emissions from production.

The Cupanion bottle (DR01) from Fill it Forward (asi/54161) is made of durable Tritan, a BPA-free plastic, and manufactured sustainably in New York.

How does it get users to maximize the use of its bottles? The supplier includes QR codes – what it calls Fill it Forward Tags – on each of its products, though the tags can also be added to a reusable item a consumer already owns to connect it to the company app. After each use, consumers can scan the QR code to track how much waste they’ve diverted from landfills and unlock a donation to one of the company’s charitable partners.

“People love understanding their environmental impact,” says Allan Babor, director of giving and global partnerships at Fill it Forward. “They love to zoom in and say, ‘This is how much waste I’ve diverted from the ocean.’ ”

Other people, he adds, are motivated more by the giveback element: “They love that every scan gives clean water to someone else in need.”

There’s also an element of fun. Some people, Babor says, “just love tracking their own personal hydration. They love the challenge and the gamification.”

Incorporating a QR code and associated app, as Fill it Forward has done, is one way technology can add uniqueness and utility to drinkware. Twintech Industry Inc. (asi/92357) is another supplier using technology to transform the product category.

“We provide quality, well-designed and useful items,” says Hsin-Chia Chao, Twintech’s founder and owner. “Because of this, people will ship it, and people will use it for a longer time. … In promo, that matters more than anything else.”

The supplier offers a self-cleaning insulated bottle that purifies water using UV-C LED light disinfection technology to eliminate harmful bacteria and odors. It also offers double-walled drinkware that doubles as a dance party: The reusable water bottle comes with a detachable and rechargeable Bluetooth speaker base, so end-users can listen to their favorite tunes while keeping their beverages hot or cold.

California-based supplier Elemental Bottles (asi/51846) prioritizes function and style for its sustainable lifestyle drinkware. When co-founders Vinh Lieu and Seth Inyang came together in 2005 to create their products, they focused on what was missing in the market: fashion drinkware.

“We wanted to be like the Ray-Ban or Nike for drinkware,” says Lieu. “With that comes a design that’s so simple, but it’s functional and stylish at the same time. ... Once you start giving away stuff that doesn’t fit people’s lifestyle easily, it just becomes waste.”

To guarantee that fashionable element, Elemental follows a few rules when designing. For bottle designs, they focus on and use two materials like bamboo and stainless steel, to give the product more dimension and sophistication. Every product has a grip band made from silicon, and they’re careful to not make the logo size too big.

Elemental Bottles (asi/51846) wants its products, like this 25-ounce stainless-steel bottle (EB25PC), to be as stylish as they are functional.

“You want to build that trust with your customers, and you don’t want to overwhelm that with a huge logo,” says Lieu.

Everything down to the surprise “feel good” stickers Elemental hides in their bottles for consumers to find after purchasing is considered when designing the products, he adds. “Drinkware needs to be leveled up by treating it like fashion or like accessories that you carry with you and not just a piece of function,” Lieu adds.

ETS Express also focuses on people’s desire for stylish, lifestyle-driven products, according to Bell. “Consumers want new designs and colors to keep up with other products they purchase,” he adds. “They’re willing to pay for great product and expect the imprint quality to be part of that collective solution. We can capture both very well and constantly push to have new products and on-design trend with other products outside our category.”

Customization, like the laserX engraving on this 64-ounce thermal growler from ETS Express (asi/51197), is an important element of drinkware that makes a connection with end-users.

It’s also about emphasizing personal style. Drinkware users crave products that suit their own unique tastes. “Levels of customization, I think, help people feel more connected to the products,” Babor says. “They’re going to hold on to them longer and may take more of an interest in them.”

Clean water access groups and environmental initiatives are among the organizations that many reusable drinkware brands donate to. These initiatives reinforce brands’ sustainable goals and add an extra layer of emotional connection.

Elemental guarantees that 1% of all orders is donated to Charity Water and other organizations. WaterAid, Dig Deep and Water First are among the charities that users contribute to after each scan of their Fill it Forward Tag.

“We think that the reuse and in-app donation experience helps individuals understand that their actions really do make an impact,” says Babor. “And they can see that impact in real time.”

Top 40 supplier Gemline (asi/56070) has six drinkware brands in its portfolio, including the global retail brands Corkcicle, govino, MiiR and W&P. Its partnerships with these brands reinforce charitable efforts.

Gemline (asi/56070) offers a lineup of drinkware from popular retail brands, like this MiiR water bottle (100275), that include a charitable giving element.

“Every MiiR product sold helps fund transparent giving projects,” says Saadia Bryant, Gemline’s vice president of marketing, product and design. “Every Corkcicle purchase helps bring clean water to people in need through their partnership with Charity Water, and W&P has partnered with City Harvest to help food rescue initiatives in New York.”

Other suppliers have also been eager to capitalize on both the cachet – and charitable bona fides – of high-end retail drinkware brands. Top 40 supplier The Magnet Group (asi/68507) recently introduced Belgium-based drinkware brand Kambukka to promo. Kambukka, a certified B Corp, is known for meeting high standards of verified performance accountability and transparency on factors that include charitable giving.

PCNA recently partnered with Hydro Flask, introducing five different styles from the popular brand into its lineup. Hydro Flask is involved in initiatives like Refill for Good, which aims to reduce plastic bottles on college campuses, and Park for All, which is focused on building, maintaining and restoring parks.   

“Hydro Flask represents the highest quality in drinkware, with 60% market share and a lifetime guarantee,” says Liz Haesler, PCNA’s global chief merchandising officer and a member of the Promo for the Planet advisory board. “We believe this is a quality product that won’t end up in a landfill.”

Indeed, that should be the ultimate goal when it comes to promotional drinkware: making a long-lasting connection between brands and end-users that doesn’t go to waste.

What Can You Do? Creating a quality product that’s stylishly designed and rooted in meaning can help ensure a reusable’s payback period is exceeded and its carbon footprint is minimized. But those aren’t the only ways to encourage sustainable practices in promo. Here are a few suggestions. Stainless steel is a top choice for durable, quality reusable bottles. Stainless-steel bottles beat plastic production in all environmental aspects when their environmental payback period is met. Also, each component of stainless steel can be separated, recycled and reused, according to environmental organization Trvst. However, the manufacturing process can be somewhat unsustainable. To combat this, promo brands can opt for reusable bottles composed of recycled or biodegradable materials or simply increase the lifespan of drinkware. MiiR’s new Climate+ Collection, offered by Top 40 supplier Gemline (asi/56070), uses 25% less stainless steel, no new plastic and has a carbon footprint offset of 110%, according to Saadia Bryant, Gemline’s vice president of marketing, product and design. Product guarantees also increase lifespans. Fill it Forward (asi/54161) has a “Friends for Life” guarantee, replacing lids and other parts of its drinkware for free. “We want to make sure that the lifetime value of that product lasts as long as possible and it’s truly sustainable,” says Allan Babor, director of giving and global partnerships. Yes, a higher-quality item will be pricey, but in terms of sustainability and brand exposure, it’s worth it. “There’s always going to be demand for price-conscious options, but we need to stop sourcing and selling poor-quality drinkware that people will only use a few times before discarding,” says Brandon Bell, incoming president for leading drinkware supplier ETS Express (asi/51197). “We should continue to market that there’s value in spending a little more to get better longevity in use, but also value in having the increased time in their brand exposure.” Though it may seem counterintuitive to the purpose of the industry, giving out fewer, but more meaningful promo at events can be a powerful way to communicate a brand’s message. Rather than suggesting another water bottle for clients, consider creative and eco-conscious alternatives. Biodegradable stickers to decorate the drinkware end-users already own, Fill it Forward tags to help them track hydration and charitable giving, or even digital gift cards so they can fill their drinkware with the beverage of their choice are drinkware-adjacent options that don’t add to the glut of reusable water bottles on the market. Publicly recognizing those in promo who are going the extra mile to make drinkware sustainable and the market less saturated could go a long way. This could be as simple as speaking out at industry events and forums about the importance of sustainability or actively educating end-users through marketing strategies. Daniel Cardozo, president and CEO of distributor Ethix Merch (asi/189731), suggests taking a step further through public pledges. Companies, he says, could pledge the types of changes they’re making to combat waste and subsequently follow up with transparent statistics on the results of those pledges. “Our entire industry has a responsibility to help sell more genuinely sustainable products to our customers,” Cardozo. “It’s important to learn how to celebrate those victories and lift up those suppliers and distributors who are working hard to make sure that we’re not a part of the problem, but a part of the solution.”