Sustainable

From the start, we have always been mindful of our plastic usage. Single-use plastic is something that we stay away from. Instead, we try to find other materials or other options that are better for the environment.

Sometimes, however, making the right decision is like a battle against ourselves. Plastic itself isn't necessarily bad but we try to be more mindful of the impact it has on the environment. We have products that are made of plastic. For example, our bookmarks have a lamination. This protects them from scratches, spills, and smudges. Without the lamination, it won't last as long. We prefer a durable product with plastic that you can enjoy for a longer time instead of making a fragile short-lived product.

Below are some ways we try to be more mindful of our plastic usage. We do our best to educate ourselves and find ways to reuse resources.

01. German Packaging Act

For orders from Germany, we pay a license fee to the dual system (we use Activate - by Reclay). The fee is for the collection, sorting, and recycling of our packaging that we bring into the German market.

02. Ordering products from manufacturers

We request manufacturers to ship our products with as little packaging as possible. We receive our products in one big plastic bag instead of having every product wrapped in plastic individually.

03. Sourcing locally

We source almost all our packaging locally in the Netherlands. By doing this we're supporting local (small) businesses and reducing transport emissions and energy usage.

04. Reusing shipping materials

When we receive mail from other shops, the shipping materials are still in great condition. We reuse the shipping materials to pack and ship your orders.

05. Belly bands

We cut sticker paper scraps into belly bands. They are perfect for bundling stickers into packs. This eliminates the use of glassine bags and reduces the amount of sticker paper waste.

06. Thermal label printer

We use a thermal label printer to print our shipping labels. The thermal labels are waterproof and it doesn’t use ink. Previously, we used sticker paper and clear tape to protect it from water damage.

07. Designing packaging to be reused

We encourage our audience to reuse our packaging so it’s not wasted. That’s why we design our packaging and backing cards as pretty as possible so you can reuse it in your journal. You can also reuse it are as scrap paper for your penpal letters or as a gift tag. In addition to this, we use wrapping paper to pack bulky orders instead of tissue paper. Tissue paper is delicate and tears easily whereas wrapping paper can be reused to wrap gifts or as scrap paper.

08. Mindful with our materials

Last but not least, we always try to think of ways we can save materials. We make test prints until the paper is covered. Also, we stamp our return address and logo on our envelopes and mailboxes instead of using labels. We also try to pack orders in as little as possible glassine bags instead of individually wrapping the items.