How's That Branded Swag Looking in Landfills?

Billions spent to litter the planet, one logo pen at a time

The branded mugs, t-shirts, pens, and gadgets piling up in closets, junk drawers, and eventually landfills—was supposed to build loyalty. It was supposed to make employees feel valued and clients feel special. Instead, we've built mountains of garbage and billion-dollar piles of plastic trinkets nobody wants.

Companies spend an eye-popping $242 billion every year on branded merchandise. Yes, billion—with a "B." And here's the kicker: nearly half of that swag is tossed out almost immediately, unloved, unused, and utterly useless. That's not just bad economics; it's ecological madness.

And let's not forget conference swag. Those logo-covered USB drives, cheaply made notebooks, and bags that barely survive the trip home—90% of them hit the trash within days. We've turned professional gatherings into carnival prize booths, feeding a cycle of waste that has no winners.

Imagine the tons of plastic, cotton, and cardboard wasted, the thousands of shipping miles burning fossil fuels, and the endless cycle of production, packaging, and disposal. It’s a destructive ritual we've convinced ourselves is necessary. But is it?

We don't need greener swag—we need no swag.

Forget biodegradable bamboo pens or recycled tote bags. The best sustainable solution is simple: stop all of it. Redirect that quarter-trillion dollars into meaningful gestures. Give your teams genuine appreciation, support their causes, invest in their growth. Donate to charity, plant trees, fund education programs.

If you genuinely care about your employees, your customers, or your planet, show it by rejecting the swag status quo. Cut the waste at the source. The most powerful statement you can make is choosing to give nothing physical at all.

Let's call swag what it is—an expensive, environmentally irresponsible habit we can live without. It's not loyalty; it's landfill.

Be brave enough to give nothing. Be wise enough to do better.