This Diwali Think Outside the Mithai Box

For years, corporate gifting has been an effective way for companies to engage with their employees, prospects, partners and customers. A box of mithai during the festive season or a cap embroidered with the company’s logo would be considered a great gift for employees and clients.

Fast forward to 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed employees and partners into the confines of their homes, engulfing them in a cloud of fear and uncertainty. It also showed the human race the impact of their actions – the damage they had done to the environment, and how retreating into our homes was actually healing our planet. Also, mental health awareness was (rightfully) on the rise, often causing a reset in priorities. Reaching out to colleagues and loved ones was now more important than ever. Real, in-person connections were replaced by Zoom calls and home deliveries – and that’s when the quintessential mithai box just didn’t cut it.

Today, corporate gifting for employees is truly about bringing joy to people, engaging employees, and showcasing your brand’s values. As a result, corporate gifting budgets in India are steadily increasing, standing at approximately Rs. 1,20,000 crores and growing rapidly at 200% per annum. Companies are rethinking their strategy when it comes to gifting – right from when to gift to the brand values that the gift would exude. In today’s climate (for climate change), most companies want to come across as responsible, compassionate, forward-thinking and innovative. The best way to hit all those notes?

A step-by-step guide to reduce the environmental footprint of corporate gifting!

1. Spread the message

The first step to reduce the environmental footprint of corporate gifting sounds easy enough – make it part of your company’s mission statement. Words like “environmentally conscious” can no longer just float around, they need to be anchored to your brand values as a goal. That’s when it’ll truly speak to your company’s team, partners and prospects.

2. Walk the talk

The second step requires your company to find the right gifting partner.

A gifting partner that truly believes in reducing the environmental footprint of corporate gifting will go beyond using buzzwords like “sustainable” and “eco-friendly”. After all, there is such a thing as greenwashing.

The right gifting partner will consciously replace “sustainable” with quantifiable, well-defined labels such as zero-plastic and 100% plastic-free. Also, they’ll 100% back it up – you’ll find that there is absolutely zero plastic in every order, including samples, right from product manufacture to packaging to disposal.

At Loopify, India’s largest zero-plastic store for events, gifting and everyday essentials, customers will find a range of plastic alternatives. From the conventional wood and metal, to the kind-of-unconventional bamboo, coconut and cork, to the absolutely unconventional Desserto and Pinatex – Loopify’s unique products make for thoughtful, out-of-the-box gifts. An airtight approval process for potential sellers also ensures that every product is 100% plastic-free, ethically produced and aesthetically appealing – making a Loopify gift hamper a cut above the rest.

3. Monitor & measure

Did your choice of corporate gifts truly reduce the environmental footprint of corporate gifting? The third and final step will inform whether you’ve chosen the right gifting partner, and will set the tone for what can be done next year.

At Loopify, intensive research, data collection and number crunching combine to deliver the proprietary Loopify Sustainability Index - a calculation of how much less plastic pollution and carbon emissions a Loopify product causes in comparison to plastic products. A measure of the environmental footprint of your corporate gifting purchase, this number can be compared year-on-year to build a more impactful gift hamper. This in turn would ensure that the environmental footprint of corporate gifting will consistently reduce. And with a range of over 6,500 products sourced from over 180 sellers, corporate gifts from Loopify would be different every time, with a different and definite impact on the environment.

So the next time your team is heads-down in a brainstorm on Diwali gifts for employees options for employees, partners, clients and prospects, truly think outside the (mithai) box. After all, it’s the only way to truly reduce the environmental footprint of corporate gifting.