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The Best Eco-Friendly Sketchbooks and Journals
Scribble away
By | 2 years ago
Whether you’re looking for somewhere to store your sketches or to write down six impossible things before breakfast, these are the best eco-friendly sketchbooks and journals on the market right now…
Stationery 2022: Notebooks, Pens & More
The Best Eco-Friendly Sketchbooks and Journals
Aspinal of London
Aspinal has always aspired to create products that could withstand the test of time and be handed down through generations. Think timeless, long-lasting and responsible luxury. The brand recently launched Bee Aspinal, a campaign that outlines Aspinal’s commitment to implementing sustainable business practices. Aims include removing single-use plastic by 2022, reducing carbon emissions (of which the brand has achieved 89% since 2018), using leathers sourced as by-products of the food industry, working with the Leather Working Group on 94% of its leathers and incorporating upcycled fabrications and hardware into future collections.
Aspinal’s refillable journals are handcrafted in England by local artisans, and aims to reduce waste with a sturdy reusable cover. Simply swap out the inner paper and you’re good to go.
A5 Refillable Journal Deep Shine Amazon Brown Croc, £85.00, aspinaloflondon.com
Before Breakfast
Using small traditional machines for printing and book-binding, Before Breakfast makes sure that all of its paper goods are designed, produced and overseen in its Highbury & Islington studio. Materials are carefully sourced, with soy-based inks, recyclable and repulpable stamping foil and paper that is FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified and made from 100% post-consumer waste. Product lines are limited to demand, with Before Breakfast believing ‘in making just enough, never too much’ and avoiding waste where possible.
Before Breakfast’s One Year Planner comes with paper made from 100% post-consumer waste, and is protected by a two-toned duplexed thick cover.
One Year Planner (Weekly + To Do) – Lilac Grey, £30, beforebreakfast.london
Bound by Hand
With an emphasis on quality, handmade products, Bound by Hand creates books made with archival materials and binding styles – meaning they will never fall apart and can therefore be used for long stretches of time. Each item is hand-sewn, allowing for slow-paced production rates. The brand has a line of cotton rag paper sketchbooks, an eco-friendly alternative that recycles textile industry waste.
The Wabi Sabi Sketchbook is made with handmade cotton rag paper that come from offcuts from the fashion industry, and is bound only with the natural materials cotton, linen and beeswax.
Wabi Sabi Sketchbook: Cotton Rag Paper Size Large, £70, boundbyhand.co.uk
Papier
At Papier, all products are produced on a made-to-order basis, creating a a system where there is minimal stock and returns – as well as no emissions from running large warehouses. Paper is sourced from FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified forests, with suppliers who work to the highest environmental standards. To top it all off, Papier prides itself on its paper packaging that can be recycled at home.
The Constellation Foiled Notebook comes with dotted paper, making it great for bullet journaling or scribbling away into the day.
Constellation Foiled Notebook, £28, papier.com
Jungley Vegan Co
Jungley Vegan Co derives its name from an Indian word meaning ‘someone who refuses to blindly follow the crowd’, and the brand does just that with its products. The brand aims to create items that are both stylish and sustainable, whether by using alternatives to leather, opting for natural dyes or creating refillable options for its journals and notebooks.
Each journal from the Natural Leaf line is handmade, created using fallen or sustainably harvested leaves which are dried, naturally dyed and sealed with a thin non-toxic laminate for durability. The journal is also refillable, meaning that it will last you longer than the average notebook.
Natural Leaf A5 Journal, £30, etsy.com
Marby & Elm
Marby & Elm started out as a hobby for founder Eleanor Tattersfield and has since grown into a reputable business that is now stocked in luxury department store Liberty. The brand favours GF Smith, which is FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified and creates renewable and and natural paper products, and Fabriano, which has a UNI EN ISO 9001:2000 certified Quality System and a UNI EN ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management System for all production plants, for its papers.
The Done is Better Than Perfect Notebook is handmade in the UK, and comes in two colours.
Done is Better Than Perfect Notebook, £26, marbyandelm.com
Smythson
Awarded the Butterfly Mark by Positive Luxury for a company-wide commitment to sustainability, Smythson wants to create products that achieve high quality standards while minimising environmental impact. As such, the brand has taken steps to make sure the majority of its packaging is recyclable, leathers are responsibly sourced from artisan factories in the UK, Italy and Europe (all ISO certified and part of the Leather Working Group) and exotic skins are no longer in production. The paper used in Smythson’s diaries, notebooks and sketchbooks is FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified, and the mill has its own Environmental Policy that complies with ISO regulations. 98% of the inks used in printing are water soluble and solvent free, and waste chemicals and chemical containers are disposed of by Business Textiles Services Ltd. To reduce waste output, all printed stationery that is over-made or rejected during quality checks is shredded and then fed into the recycling chain.
The Portobello Sketchbook is made locally in England, and features 68 leaves of gilt-edged plain white wove paper.
Portobello Sketchbook, £225, smythson.com
VENT for Change
VENT for Change is the sustainable stationary company with a mission to both protect the planet and educate children all over the world. From using FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified paper to manufacturing recycled pencils, VENT makes sure to put planet and people first. The other side of the business, which seeks to provide education for children all over the world, came in response to a string of devastating natural and man-made disasters that prevented children from going to school as normal.
The Recycled Leather A5 Lined Notebook is made with recycled leather covers and 100% sustainable 80gsm paper. Every notebook sold also helps to support children’s education projects around the world.
Recycled Leather A5 Lined Notebook in Green, £14.99, ventforchange.co.uk
Photo by pure julia
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