With the EU Ban on Single Use Plastics due to come into effect in the EU in July, the promotional products industry has already seen a vast shift in demand from plastic products to those made from natural materials, but one product in-particular has been completely reinvented to become a standout success. B-Loony’s BalloonGrip® Balloon Holder (www.balloongrip.co.uk) has achieved worldwide acclaim as a sustainable alternative to its plastic predecessors, having sold over 30 million units in its first year since launch and winning multiple awards, including ‘Promotional Gift Award 2019’, EMCA’s ‘Save the Planet Award 2019’, SME Business Awards MK & Bucks ‘Gold Winner’, and ‘Finalist’ in SME National Business Awards for ‘The Green Award’.
The balloon industry has long relied on traditional plastic balloon sticks to display and distribute printed promotional balloons to children, but under the EU’s Single Use Plastics Directive, plastic balloon sticks, and those made from bio-based or bio-mass plastic with PLA additives will be banned in the EU next month along with plastic straws, plastic cotton buds, and single-use plastic cutlery and plates and the UK is likely to bring in similar legislation post Brexit.
B-Loony recognised that whilst balloons are made from natural rubber which will biodegrade, the loss of this popular accessory would have a significant impact on the promotional market and the ability for end users to hand out promotional balloons to customers.
The B-Loony R&D team quickly responded by developing the BalloonGrip® Balloon Holder, a recyclable and sustainable alternative, made entirely from PEFC certified cardboard, sourced form sustainably managed forests.
By avoiding the use of plastic and PLA based alternatives and switching to a paper based product, B-Loony have not only replaced a plastic product with a viable and fully sustainable alternative, but also created an additional branding opportunity, since the balloon holder itself provides enough real-estate to be printed independently to the balloon.
Brands are increasingly adopting BalloonGrip® balloon holders as the default accessory for natural rubber balloons, some with exciting creative ideas, such as printing QR codes to direct users to their websites and programming apps to recognise the products in augmented reality.
Together with natural rubber balloons, the new BalloonGrip® balloon holder is the perfect eco-friendly product to engage and entertain children whilst providing one of the most fun and popular advertising mediums.
For more information, visit b-loony.co.uk/balloongrip or contact B-Loony Ltd on 01494 774 376.
