14 Eco-Friendly And Sustainable Stationery Brands for All Your Writing Needs
Image: Quilling Card
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The Best Sustainable Stationery
In today's world, the concept of being eco-friendly has become more important than ever before. As we become more aware of the impact our actions have on the environment, we are beginning to see the importance of taking small steps to make a positive difference. One way in which we can contribute to the protection of our planet is by choosing eco-friendly stationery.
Whether you're re-stocking your home office or you have an event to prepare for, choosing the right stationery can make all the difference. If you're trying to shop more sustainably and are looking for eco-friendly versions of your stationery staples (no pun intended!), we have found the brands that have got everything you need. From blank paper and envelopes to journals and notebooks, the items we use every day can have a big impact on the planet if we're not careful. But with brands like Paper Culture, Artifact Uprising, and Muji, you can make your stationery both fun and eco-friendly.
Why is it important to choose eco-friendly stationery?
By choosing eco-friendly stationery, you are reducing the amount of waste and pollution that is generated by the production and disposal of non-eco-friendly products. When you opt for products made from sustainable materials, you are supporting the use of renewable resources and promoting the long-term health of our planet.
Many non-eco-friendly products contain harmful chemicals that can be dangerous to both the environment and human health. Choosing eco-friendly products can help reduce exposure to these toxic chemicals.
What makes stationery eco-friendly or not?
For a stationery product to be classed as eco-friendly or sustainable, it should be made using materials that are renewable, such as recyclable paper or organic or biodegradable materials. Non-eco-friendly stationery is typically made using materials that are non-renewable and have a negative impact on the environment, such as virgin paper from unregulated forests or plastic made with fossil fuels.
In addition to the materials used, the production process also plays a significant role in determining whether or not stationery is eco-friendly. Eco-friendly stationery is produced using sustainable practices, such as using renewable energy sources, reducing waste, minimizing the use of harmful chemicals, and using a 'closed-loop' system.
How to identify eco-friendly stationery
There are several things you can look out for when shopping for eco-friendly stationery.
Recycled content: Look for products that use recycled content, such as paper made from post-consumer waste.
Sustainable materials: Look for products made from sustainable materials such as bamboo, hemp, or recycled plastic.
Minimal packaging: Choose products with minimal packaging or packaging made from sustainable materials.
Certifications: Look for products that have been certified by third-party organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Cradle to Cradle (C2C).
Choosing eco-friendly stationery is a simple yet effective way to contribute to the protection of our planet. By opting for products made from sustainable materials and produced using responsible manufacturing practices, we can reduce waste, minimize our impact on the environment, and promote the long-term health of our planet. The 15 brands we're sharing here offer a range of eco-friendly stationery products, making it easy for us to make a positive impact through our purchasing choices.
Now, our top picks for eco-friendly & Sustainable stationery:
1) Paper Culture
Category: DIY cards, wedding invitations, blank cards, personalized stationery, wall decals
Materials: 100% post-consumer recycled paper, bamboo, organic cotton
Got a wedding, graduation, or other big life event coming up? Based in California, Paper Culture offers a range of eco-friendly stationery products in contemporary designs, including DIY cards (add your own photos and messages), invitations, save the date, and thank you cards.
All products are made using 100% post-consumer recycled paper and are printed using vegetable-based inks. Paper Culture produces its paper and wall decal materials domestically to reduce emissions from transportation. For every order, Paper Culture plants a tree and has planted over 1 million trees already!
2) Minted
Category: greeting cards, invitations, art, gifts
Materials: recycled paper, eco-friendly inks
Minted offers a range of personalizable stationery, including cards, invitations, and announcements.
Their products are created by independent artists who create unique and stylish designs. Minted also offers a range of customization options, including foil-stamping, to make your invites really stand out.
Their products are made using high-quality, 100% post-consumer recycled paper and eco-friendly inks, and they have switched all of their packaging over to recyclable or compostable materials.
3) Twigs Paper
Category: cards, invitations, notebooks
Materials: 100% post-consumer FSC-certified paper, water-based inks
Made in the USA, Twigs is committed to using 100% eco-friendly materials to produce their cards, invitations, and notebooks. We love their National Parks card collection - they’d be perfect for the recipient to frame! All of the materials they use are sourced from within the USA and Canada, and they print from New York and ship from New Jersey.
Twigs only use plastic-free packaging that is made from post-consumer waste.
4) Artifact Uprising
Category: photo prints, photo books, cards, calendars
Materials: recycled paper, reclaimed wood, eco-friendly inks
Artifact Uprising specializes in creating high-quality photo prints, photo books, albums, cards, and calendars. They offer a range of themes and designs to choose from, and all of their products are designed to be customizable, so you can get the perfect end product.
Artifact Uprising makes all of its stationery products in the USA and is committed to sustainable and ethical production. Their products are made using eco-friendly materials, including 100% recycled paper and eco-friendly inks.
5) Quilling Card
Category: greeting cards, gifts, art
Materials: paper
For a card like no other, we recommend checking out the stationery brand Quilling Card. Their cards are crafted using the art of quilling (threading strips of kishu paper through a tool to create a tight coil to create shapes), and their designs are beautiful and unique. They offer a range of themes, including seasonal and holiday cards, and you can even buy a kit to try quilling for yourself and make your own cards!
These greeting cards can turn into pieces of art and would be perfect for framing. Quilling Card has a commitment to sustainability and supporting local communities and is a member of the Fair Trade Federation.
6) Greenvelope
Category: digital invitations and cards
Materials: n/a
If you’re looking to reduce your use of paper and the resulting waste, maybe digital invitations are for you. Greenvelope offers a range of stylish digital invitations and cards that are perfect for your special event. You can easily customize the designs to make them suit your needs, and they offer a range of themes, from classic to more contemporary designs.
The Greenvelope website also helps you track RSVPs and questions and set reminders for your guests - the personal assistant we all need when planning an event!
7) Em & Friends
Category: greeting cards, notebooks, journals, stickers,
Materials: recycled paper, soy-based ink
Em & Friends offers a range of quirky and fun stationery products, including cards for any occasion, notebooks, and journals, as well as stickers, sticky notes, and magnets. Their designs are colorful, playful, and unique, and they have something to offer for all types of personalities. They also offer some fantastic customizable gifting options like books and ‘read me when’ letters.
Em & Friends print their cards in Los Angeles and uses recycled paper and soy-based inks. They also support various social and environmental causes, such as mental health awareness and sustainable living - we love a brand that gives back to the community.
8) Greenroom
Category: notebooks, journals, binders, blank cards
Materials: 100% recycled paper, soy-based inks
Based in California, Greenroom offers a range of notebooks, journals and binders made using 100% recycled paper and non-toxic soy-based inks. Their designs range from fun prints perfect for your kids to take to school to refined, classic designs that you’ll feel proud to bring out at the team meetings!
Greenroom also sells blank cards, perfect for saying ‘thank you’ or just letting someone know you’re thinking of them. Greenroom products are exclusively available at Target.
9) Papier
Category: notecards, letting writing paper, thank you card sets, notebooks
Materials: FSC-certified paper
Created with sustainably sourced paper and using recycled packaging, Papier is known for seasonal collections and unique designs. Everything is shipped wrapped in simple cardboard and paper, and all notecards, writing paper, invitations, greeting cards, and inner pages of your notebooks and planners can be recycled.
In addition, they often team up with artists to bring their talents to Papier products for products you won’t find anywhere else!
10) Tree-Free Greetings
Category: blank cards, greeting cards
Materials: 100% post-consumer recycled paper, VOC-free inks
With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day just around the corner, have you picked out your cards yet? Tree-Free Greetings offers a range of sustainable greeting cards for every occasion, from national holidays to birthdays, anniversaries, new arrivals and weddings! You can even write your message onto the card digitally and Tree-Free Greetings will post it for you - perfect for when time isn’t on your side.
All of their products are made in the USA using sustainable materials such as recycled paper and reclaimed wheat straw. Their printing and production happen under one roof and are 100% solar-powered.
11) Paperless Post
Category: digital invitations and cards
Materials: FSC-certified paper, recycled paper, eco-friendly inks
Paperless Post offers a range of eco-friendly digital invitations and cards to send to your friends and family. Perfect for any occasion, they have designs for weddings, birthdays, graduation, party invites and even flyers for your business. You can select your design and send it digitally, meaning nothing is produced or needs to be disposed of afterward!
Lots of people are opting for this more eco-friendly choice for wedding and party invites. However, they also offer you the option to get paper versions of their designs if you prefer the physical thing, and they use 100% recycled paper and eco-friendly inks for these.
12) Good Paper
Category: Greeting cards, boxed sets
Materials: recycled paper, eco-friendly inks
Good Paper offers a range of beautifully handcrafted cards that are perfect for any occasion.
Their products are made using high-quality recycled paper and are printed with eco-friendly inks. Good Paper works with victims of human trafficking and provides fair wages and safe working conditions to their artisans.
We love that each Good Paper card has been signed on the back by the artist who created it.
13) Oblation Papers & Press
Category: greeting cards, invitations, notebooks, planners, pens
Materials: recycled paper, eco-friendly inks, recycled cotton
Portland-based Oblation Papers & Press offers a range of high-quality stationery, including cards, invitations, and notebooks.
Shop stationery sets with beautiful designs to make your letters to your friends and family that much more special.
You’ll also find everything from glass inkwells and typewriters to fabric-covered notebooks and even kits to make your own paper! Oblation uses traditional methods to make their handmade paper and you can see the care that goes into everything they create.
14) Botanical Paperworks
Category: seed paper greeting cards, wedding & party favors
Materials: biodegradable seed paper made from post-consumer waste
Imagine sending out your wedding invites so that your guests can plant and watch as wildflowers bloom!
Canadian company Botanical Paperworks specialize in seed paper products, including invitations, greeting cards, and confetti.
Their plantable paper is a biodegradable eco-paper made with post-consumer and post-industrial paper waste that is embedded with seeds. Everything is biodegradable, and by planting more wildflowers, you’ll be improving the biodiversity wherever you plant them!
About the Author
Sarah King is a freelance writer with a focus on vegan fashion, sustainability and ethically made clothes. She campaigns for change in the fashion industry through her blog and on her Instagram page.
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