Merchology Sales Team - Sustainablity Achievements

Merchology was founded in 2014 to create memorable brand experiences and ignite unity through responsible, innovative custom merch solutions. Supporting 65,000+ companies, including 93% of the Fortune 500, Merchology combines e-commerce shopping with dedicated account support, exclusive brands, and quality in-house decoration as a proud Disability Owned Business Enterprise.

Briefly describe the nominated organization or individual: history and past performance (up to 1,250 characters):

After 28 years in the corporate apparel industry, Dick Ward set out to reimagine corporate gear, designing a business model that made the ordering process faster, more affordable, and more transparent for businesses. In 2014, he launched Merchology with his two children, Ally (Ward) Delgado (CEO) and Andrew Ward (President).

In the beginning, Merchology offered 5,000 products for co-branding. In just 11 years, Merchology has expanded to provide 150,000+ products from over 400 brands. The company now directly partners with names like Under Armour, Marine Layer, YETI, Adidas, Patagonia, and UNRL. Merchology's in-house logo decoration capabilities set the brand apart. The company expanded its services from embroidery and screen printing to 12 decoration options including five new patch types, 3 printing options, and a completely custom Private Label Program.

As Merchology's online presence expanded and more customers discovered the company through digital channels, it evolved from an e-commerce-only model to include a dedicated sales team of 45 individual contributors focused on building and nurturing relationships with these customers.

Outline the nominated achievements since July 1, 2023 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 1,500 characters):

While Merchology has held sustainability as a core value since its founding, the Sales team has taken major steps to formalize and present these efforts to customers in 2025. Merchology previously demonstrated commitment to sustainability through its partnership with 1% For the Planet, donating $270,000+ and 698+ volunteer hours to environmental non-profits. In 2024, as more enterprise clients and other customers began setting sustainability goals, a need emerged for transparent reporting on branded merch.

In 2025, Merchology formed an eco-partnership with third-party assessment platform EcoVadis to report and assess environmental and social impact. Merchology's reps now showcase the company's EcoVadis "Committed" badge and related policies as proof of Merchology's commitment to operating responsibly. This has allowed customers like [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] General Mills to report on their merch program sustainability.

Sales also revised their sustainable selling strategy with the re-launch of the Private Label Program in 2025, which allows customers to create their own products through WRAP-certified factories.

Reps communicate between customers and manufacturers to provide visibility into the supply chain. 90% of these products are made from recycled materials.

All Sales materials were refreshed in 2024 and 2025 to bring EcoVadis and Private Label to the forefront of every customer conversation.

Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 1,500 characters):

Merchology's EcoVadis commitment is a unique rating in the promotional products industry. Gained via a thorough application process measuring impact across Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement categories, Merchology scored 4-18 points above industry benchmarks in each category. Most branded merchandise suppliers do not partner with external sustainability assessment platforms.

Since 2024, it has become the Sales team's mission to connect customers with brands, products, and supply chains that meet their sustainability goals and standards. For example, reps helped General Mills investigate and report on the standards of the factories producing their Private Label backpacks in 2024. 90% of the fully custom Private Label projects Merchology sells are produced from recycled materials or renewable resources.

While competitors only feature eco-friendly products in catalogs and webpages, sustainability is now directly embedded into Merchology's main sales framework. Each customer chat rests on Merchology's core value of Responsibility, highlighting sustainable brands, products, and shipping practices. [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] Zusa, a certified B-Corp and sister brand of Merchology, is one of the top brands recommended.

These achievements have set new accountability standards in the promo industry, and the team is committed to raising the bar each year.

Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 1,500 characters):

1: Merchology's official website

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