What Is 4imprint's Better Choices Program?

Updated

Better Choices® is 4imprint's product-labeling program that flags promotional items with a more positive environmental impact — for example, products made with recycled materials or sourced from a responsible forestry program. It also highlights brands and organizations that 4imprint identifies as leaders in developing positive workplace cultures. If your goal is to order branded merchandise that reflects sustainability or social responsibility values, this is the filter 4imprint gives you to find those items within its catalog.

What Better Choices actually covers

The program works on two tracks, and it's worth separating them because they answer different questions:

Track What it signals Example given by 4imprint
Environmental impact The product itself is made with more responsible materials or sourcing Items made with recycled materials, or from a responsible forestry program
Workplace culture The brand or organization behind the product is recognized for positive workplace practices Brands and organizations "leading the way in developing positive workplace cultures"

So a product can qualify on materials, on the supplier's labor/culture record, or both. If you only care about one of these dimensions, check which track a given item falls under rather than assuming the label means everything at once.

How to use it when ordering

  1. Start from the Better Choices section or filter within 4imprint's promotional product catalog.
  2. Browse the flagged items and confirm the specific reason each one qualifies — recycled content and forestry certification are different claims, and the label alone doesn't tell you which applies.
  3. Match the item to your use case (giveaway, employee gift, trade show) from the standard categories: apparel, bags, drinkware, office and awards, technology, wellness and safety, and so on.
  4. Request a free sample if you need to see the material quality before committing — 4imprint offers free samples of promotional products, which matters more than usual when the environmental claim is part of your message.

What it does not tell you

  • It is not a blanket certification. The label reflects 4imprint's own criteria, not a third-party standard you can look up independently.
  • It doesn't guarantee the whole order is sustainable — only the specific flagged products are.
  • Pricing, minimums, and turnaround are set per product, so a Better Choices item isn't automatically cheaper, faster, or available in smaller quantities.

When this is the right choice

Choose Better Choices items when the environmental or workplace story is part of what you're communicating — for example, a company sustainability initiative, an Earth Day giveaway, or a client whose values align with responsible sourcing. If you just need the lowest-cost logo item and sustainability isn't part of the message, the broader catalog will give you more options.