Procurement rules, green claims law and shipping disruption are changing what buyers need to know about the merchandise they order. Here is why UK-made, recycled products are becoming the safer choice for distributors to list.
Price, lead time and print quality still matter. But the businesses ordering branded merchandise are now being asked harder questions: where was it made, what is it made from, how did it get here, and can the claims on it be proved? Here are six reasons UK-made, recycled merchandise answers them.
Procurement now scores it
The Procurement Act 2023 came into force in February 2025. Central government buyers must now give social value at least a 10% weighting in tenders, rising to 20% on contracts of £5 million or more from January 2027. Major contracts also require a published carbon reduction plan that covers supply chain emissions. Large private companies are heading the same way through the new UK Sustainability Reporting Standards. Merchandise made in the UK by an SME, from UK-sourced recycled material, gives procurement teams something concrete to point to.
Green claims carry real liability, all the way down the chain
Since April 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority can fine businesses up to 10% of global turnover for misleading claims. Its January 2026 guidance confirms that a business can be liable for a green claim it repeats or passes on, not just one it originates. If you list a product as recycled or sustainable, you share responsibility for that claim. Specific, evidenced claims protect you and your customer. Vague ones on imported products do not.
A supply chain that does not depend on a shipping lane
Red Sea disruption has added around 10 to 14 days to most Asia to Europe sailings since late 2023, and the route is still far from normal. For merchandise tied to an event, launch or season, a late delivery is a failed one. UK manufacture removes ocean freight, customs and port congestion from the picture, with fast dispatch as standard.
Transparency your customers can stand behind
Updated Modern Slavery Act guidance published in 2025 puts more weight on mapping supply chains and checking for risk. When a customer’s procurement or ESG team asks where a product was made, and by whom, a product designed, moulded, printed and dispatched at one UK site has a clear answer, backed by Made in Britain and Sedex.
It says something about your business, and theirs
Branded merchandise is a statement made with someone else’s logo on it. A 2026 YouGov survey for Made in Britain found 86% of UK adults consider where a product was made, and 70% are more likely to buy one carrying the Made in Britain mark. Products that are well made and built to last stay in use for longer, keeping your customer’s brand in view. As Tom Verow, Operations Director at Mojo Promotions, said of the CHX Fidget Puck, it “offers a sustainable and locally manufactured alternative that truly stands out in a crowded market of silicone and tat”.
Keeping recycled material, and jobs, in the UK
Recycling only works if someone uses the recycled material. Industry research this year warned that the UK has lost more than 200,000 tonnes of plastic reprocessing capacity since 2024, and called for more demand for UK-produced recycled content beyond packaging. Every product moulded from UK-sourced recycled plastic helps create that demand, and keeps manufacturing jobs here.
Sustainability without the premium
Cost is one of the biggest barriers to more sustainable choices. At CHX, recycled is our standard, not an upgrade, and our R+ recycled biodegradable material in Tor is priced the same as our standard recycled white. We have made merchandise in Bodmin, Cornwall since 1997, using recycled materials from day one:
- Most of our products start life as a UK fridge or freezer
- Zero waste verified, with 95% of production waste reused internally
- Solar panels meeting around 40% of our energy needs on good days
- Vegan, solvent-free inks
- Made in Britain member, BPMA member, Sedex audited and working towards ISO 14001
- Award-winning products built to last, with bespoke moulding and full colour print available
Read the full white paper
Our full white paper covers each reason in more depth, with references to the legislation, government guidance and research behind it.
Download the full white paper (PDF)
Talk to us
If you would like to list CHX products on your website, or discuss the sustainability or supply chain obligations your customers are facing and how we can help you meet them transparently, get in touch on 01208 813 813 or at sales@chxproducts.co.uk.
