Apollo Insurance Solutions (APOLLO) has made a commitment to support local businesses by purchasing gifts and incentives for its partners.

The insurance firm said that this is its initiative to support local businesses as the economy slowly recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

APOLLO is first collaborating with ChopValue, a Canadian company that recycles chopsticks to create sustainable products that are durable. Many of the items ChopValue produces are perfect for home, office, and/or home office use.

“The insurance industry spends a great deal of money on swag and incentives,” said APOLLO CEO Jeff McCann. "Rather than investing in products like iPads or televisions, we realized that we could make a better effort to more directly impact our local economy.”

APOLLO holds regular contests for its broker partners to participate in – this is APOLLO’s way to thank them and recognize their successes. Moving forward, the contests will feature locally-made goods starting with ChopValue’s.

“ChopValue was founded with the intention in making the circular economy the norm,” said ChopValue founder and CEO Felix Böck. “To date, we have recycled over 25 million chopsticks into innovative high-performance sustainable products. Our Microfactory franchise concept defines the term made local — wherever you are, as we source, manufacture, distribute, and employ within local communities.”

In a statement, Böck also thanked ChopValue’s partners like APOLLO, who support the company’s mission to create a positive impact on climate conditions.