Companies can play a crucial role in implementing effective actions to fight against climate change and defend the planet and its inhabitants. XD Connects works with this belief and with the goal of “providing the best sustainable gifts to connect companies with their customers and employees while minimizing the impact on the environment”, as set forth in the company's mission statement. The firm, that this year decided to change name and brand (from Xindao) to better express its purpose, embraced the environmental cause long time ago and is now able to ensure sustainability of the materials and processes used along the whole supply chain thanks to third-party certifications: a guarantee for companies that are looking for quality and design articles to be customized.

“We are at the forefront with respect to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues – underlines Albert van der Veen, CEO of XD Connects – and we went through a long path that in 2022 led us to a major turning point and to upgrade our roadmap. We took stock of what we achieved so far, of where we want to go and how to get there, and we integrated the ESG approach into all our business activities, providing our customers with accessories made from recycled materials: all our products are now environmentally friendly and have Fsc (Forest Stewardship Council), Grs (Global Recycle Standard) or Rcs (Recycle Claim Standard) certification”.

Traceability is a key element for the sustainability of products offered by XD Connects: the articles from the Impact collection, for instance, are certified by Aware, a company that developed scanner-traceable microparticles to be placed inside recycled raw materials and then verified at each step of the production chain. “A blockchain technology to ensure that products and accessories are 100% recycled and traceable – further explains van der Veen – is like taking a step into the future. A future in which we want to continue to set an example and inspire our stakeholders and customers by working hard to achieve (or even exceed) our ESG goals. In particular, 2025 and 2030 will be the milestones to measure our progress in the areas of emissions, supply chain conditions and transparency. We also plan to produce annual reports to share our progress and achievements in the field of ESG”.

Among those environmentally friendly products, there is the Impact line – including backpacks, shopper bags, and caps suitable for all branding needs – made of rPet (recycled Pet) or recycled cotton and resulting from a water-saving manufacturing process.