Ethics are important to Backstreet International Merchandise, in the way we operate as a business, the products we use and the people we work with.

We promote a range of ethical products. Clothing options include 100% organic cotton, fair trade and carbon neutral products, from suppliers including Continental Clothing, Epona and Edunlive. Recycled products include lanyards, stationary and reusable shopping bags. We also offer a certified 100% organic printing process.

We have produced ethical merchandise for the likes of Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Super Furry Animals, Amnesty International, Warchild, Global Cool and the Free Burma Campaign.

As a Company, we take our responsibility very seriously in this area and want to offer both our clients and our e commerce customers the best range of materials available. We strive to continue to make further improvements and welcome our clients input in helping achieve this goal.

We work with closely with our supply chain to ensure ethical practices at every stage of a products manufacture.

Click here for view more information on our supply chain

We have long operated recycling schemes in all our offices, and have extended this with a printer cartridge recycling scheme for other local businesses (raising money for Amnesty International) and a mobile phone recycling scheme for all our online customers (raising money for Global Cool). We’ve enrolled in www.cyclescheme.co.uk to provide cycles for our staff to get people out of cars and public transport and onto bikes for both commutes and travelling to business meetings. Our E commerce operation uses recycled and biodegradable packaging and we give our customers further advice for the full life cycle of the products, including greener washing instructions sent with every item of clothing shipped. If we can make a small difference to consumer’s behavior by our efforts, we’ve scored a small win. And the small wins add up.

So whilst it seems like a small detail, it’s something BSI Merch strongly believe in. So all the products used in our offices and warehouses  are as ethical as possible. Whether it be the Fair Trade organic coffee we’re supping in litres on the late shifts, to the  recycled  paper toilet roll we’re using after drinking so much coffee, and then the cleaning products used to clean those toilets as a result. These are all small details. But they add to the bigger picture. And if our staff do, as they are  encouraged to, take this behaviour home with them, we’ve scored yet another small win. One small win at a time equals many wins working together towards the bigger picture.

But, like any business, we know there’s still much more we can do. Whilst we have the will, and strive to push that on a daily basis, we also need our clients and retail customers to share this vision. So pick up the phone and talk to us. “Corporate Social Responsibility”  is not something we add to our website to win new clients or appease shareholders (we don’t need to, we’re independent). It’s something we should all be doing.

According to the Co-Operative Banks Ethical Consumerism Report 2008, ethical consumer spend in the UK increased 15% over the last 12 months, showing that such products are not just the right thing to do, but also a growth area for your merchandise sales. “The carbon emission of each item bought online and delivered to a customer is 132 grams of C02. Twenty-seven items need to be bought on a dedicated car journey to the shops to achieve the same level of efficiency. Nine purchases need to be made to be as green as shopping online on a bus journey.” … Dr. Julia Edwards, Heriot-Watt University speaking at IMRG’s July 2008 OnLine Green Awards (The OLGAs)

Click here to download the complete BSI Merch Corporate Social Responsibility Policy