This firm's most prized gift? Passing on the green message

Family business DTC World Corporation has been in the gifting industry for more than 20 years. They specialise in designing and customising promotional gifts and point of sale materials for multinational companies like Heineken, Nestle, Unilever and Philips.

But in this current climate, with more awareness of environmental issues and energy consumption, it hopes to become a more socially conscious business.

"Sustainability is a hot topic now. However, I think many companies are only focusing on carbon emission. Actually, there are a lot more that can be done such as optimising design and production to reduce wastage, using the right material so the product life cycle can be longer, or encouraging recycling. In DTC, we focus on how to promote sustainable consumption and how to ensure sustainable procurement," says managing director Jason Cheng.

DTC does this by evaluating new and existing suppliers in terms of production capability, quality, price, environment, governance and social issues. Even with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the company has continued to do audits of its suppliers by going digital.

It may seem like a small step, but its actions can create a positive impact as DTC services an array of multinational clients with offices not just in Singapore, but also in Malaysia, Vietnam and China. The company also has a supplier network of over 200 factories in the Asia-Pacific region.

For making corporate gifts sustainable, DTC has earned a Distinction in the Brands for Good 2021/2022 awards, under the Business for Good category.

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"Our suppliers undergo a CSR risk analysis where high-risk suppliers are audited annually. We conduct an on-site audit before working with any suppliers... to ensure they adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct. We check with suppliers on how sustainable their raw material source is. We will usually ask for relevant certifications, wherever applicable."

This means exploring the use of plastic alternatives and sustainable materials such as PLA or bamboo in the making of its products. DTC's eco-friendly product range includes bamboo cutlery and bento boxes - and even a bamboo keyboard and mouse - beeswax food wrappers and a biodegradable PLA portable Bluetooth speaker.

PLA is a polylactic acid derived from renewable, organic sources such as cornstarch or sugar cane. Its manufacturing process is relatively cost-efficient and less toxic than the production of plastic.

For tote or gift bags, DTC tries to source and recommend more environmentally friendly materials like cotton, jute or cork.

But DTC's green mission goes beyond its products. It also hopes to educate users.

"We include a reminder in our promotional gifts whenever possible, to recycle the product at the end of its life cycle," Mr Cheng adds.

The company is also working on a sustainability sales kit to share with customers.

"We hope that with this kit, they will learn that sustainability is much more than just giving away eco-friendly products and have a better understanding on what they can do to have a more sustainable marketing campaign. We hope we can work closely with customers to reduce carbon footprint in their marketing campaigns."

Going global

Mr Cheng, 41, took on the role as managing director in 2018 and at the helm, he has sharpened the company's focus on two key concerns: developing a global outlook and playing a greater role in sustainability efforts.

"We noticed that in Europe and the US, there is a growing trend of large companies outsourcing the procurement function to suppliers. They will appoint a regional or global supplier and this appointed supplier will handle all the marketing merchandise for the company," he says.

To this effect, DTC has introduced an internal Web portal system for its clients. They can use this to ensure a strong brand recall and messaging, and keep track of or consolidate orders. DTC can also take over an entire procurement process, from designing and conceptualising gifts, to factory production and door-to-door delivery across borders.

"Many of our competitors are unable to do that as different countries have different import regulations. It can be confusing and complicated if you are unfamiliar with these regulations," says Mr Cheng.

Drawing on its strengths

Mr Cheng believes that in business, embracing socially responsible policies goes a long way towards attracting and retaining customers.

"We see more and more big corporations making sustainability a key criterion in their sourcing. So, there is a huge opportunity for all SMEs to grow if they start on this path."