Greetings folk continue challenge on the eco-friendly front
Sustainability has played a huge part in the greeting card industry over the past few years as publishers, retailers and suppliers alike accepted the challenge to lead from the front.
As a precursor to the upcoming sustainability feature in the October issue of Progressive Greetings magazine and the upcoming Products Of Change Sustainability Conference, PG Buzz has been asking what various companies think have been the best changes in recent times, and what the industry should be looking at now.
Here we hear from Brainbox Candy, By Erin, Rush Design, Lola Design, Prints Doodle, Laura Darrington Design, 5C Design, Abbotprint, The Eco-friendly Card Company, Natural Partners, Five Dollar Shake and The Art File…
Ben Hickman, co-owner, Brainbox Candy
“I think people are just far more aware of how important it is, and people are definitely trying harder to do their bit.
“We have always printed everything in the UK so there are no airmiles needed, the carbon footprint is less. We only print on FSC board, we’ve moved to naked cards, we recycle our packaging and reuse bubble wrap and card, we have all the different recycling bins in the warehouse.
“It’s difficult not to wrap pallets to stop the boxes moving about, sadly there’s no viable alternative at the moment, but all that plastic wrap needs to be recycled.”
David Robertson, director, By Erin
“FSC board is the most important, and we use recyclable packaging, the compostable one because there are two types.
“On naked cards, as a gift shop owner as well, I hate them because they’re not protected, they get damaged, and it just pushes prices up. It’s striking that balance between what’s sustainable and what can be weathered on cost. Get it sustainable and affordable.”
Lorraine Bradley, founder and co-owner, Rush Design
“FSC board – customers actually ask me about that. We do offer cello-wrapped cards but it’s the eco version. Our most sustainable feature to me is that it is all manufactured in the UK. We do use co-kraft envelopes.”
Ian Bradley, independent sales agent and Rush Design co-owner
“As an industry we have done way more percentage of sales-wise than many other industries. We have jumped in before we really had to, no one asked us to.”
Amanda and Frank Mountain, owners, Lola Design
“We use 100% recycled board that we’ve sourced, and the quality is now great, it used to be that there were all sorts of colours in there but now it’s pure white board.
“The main ongoing issue is the wastage, there’s still a lot of waste at store level, which upsets us so much. Lots does come back if it’s in the warehouse, but it’s pulped at store level. It needs to be circular. They could give it away but then you drain the value out of the category – maybe it could be used to make energy?”
Adriana Owens, owner, Prints Doodle
“All my cellos are compostable but I really like card clasps as, for me, I want things to be recyclable.
“They could definitely be working towards compostable cards so you don’t have to recycle them.”
Laura Darrington, founder and co-owner, Laura Darrington Design
“No cellos on cards has to be the most important change – and we’re pushing for all of our export customers to go that way. They still want them for export. We’re also moving away from card clasps as far as possible. Shops are Marmite on clasps because of the glue as temperature affects it.
“People still think we’re not a sustainable industry but we’ve been doing it for much longer than people have really been thinking about. People think they just throw cards away and don’t realise how much we’ve done to get the cards there.”
Ross Harrison, director, Laura Darrington Design
“I can’t believe people throw cards away because Laura has kept every card she’s ever been sent!”
Louise Tiler, founder and co-owner Louise Tiler
“There’s been a big push about no cellos, and we’re a glutton for naked cards and clasps, everything without plastic. I do think plastic in the food industry should be more of a focus. We’re all trying to do our best without paring back on business,
“Lamination on catalogues is one of those little things that can help and it’s something customers may not notice.
“To save extra waste we have QR codes for downloadable catalogues which cuts extra paper use. We’re trying to be a bit more efficient over our stock, not over printing so we always sell through and there’s no waste.”
Deborah Cadwallader, director, 5C Designs
“Cutting out plastic packaging is the main thing, so we have the clasps as an option, and all our board is Woodland Trust and FSC-certified.
“We only work with printers that are Woodland Trust and similar accredited and I think that’s really important because we do lots of landscape pictures and we’re trying to protect the landscape.
“We could try to get down the price of recycled materials because recycled board costs a lot more. Let’s help publishers drive down the cost of the raw materials – if that board costs 20p more which one is the retailer going to go for?”
Simon Davis, sales executive, Abbotprint
“FSC board is the main change – Abbotprint only offers FSC certified board. And then there’s the levels of waste, work with your printer on your levels of stock so you’re not left with wastage.”
Jack Wilson, operations director, Paper Salad
“Cutting single-use plastics out as much as possible by getting rid of cellos – although there are still indie retailers that are resistant. We’re talking to them about it and explaining it’s fine. And we do need to reduce waste within the industry.”
Sue Morrish, co-owner, The Eco-friendly Card Company
“Over the last decade FSC has been a huge thing but, more recently, options for retailers to move away from having everything packaged, for single cards has been really prioritised,
“Controversially, I’m unconvinced the move to boxed Christmas cards has been good from a carbon footprint point because the boxes are heavy, and the bigger and more elaborate they are, the heavier they are.
“We have developed a package for our Christmas cards which uses the smallest amount of board possible, it’s for mixed packs where you have to show the designs. It’s still heavier than compostable bags but compared to a two-part box it’s significantly lighter and better for the carbon footprint.”
Joe Cole, owner, Natural Partners
“We’ve always used FSC board but, with cellos, I’m of the opinion that it’s more about education and how it should be disposed of, because all our customers want cellos but the eco stuff is just too expensive.
“I’d like to do it because that’s my background, conservation, but if I do the eco cellos I’d have to put the price up and shops are struggling as it is.
“We need to find a way to get down the price of the eco versions and push more on education on ways to dispose of the cellos rather than go to landfill or whatever.
“The amount of people who say to me that having card racks outside their shops means they need cellos, or they sell at markets where the cards are in the open air. We do supply without but a lot of shops have racks for outside, and in supermarkets where people are handling them does them no good.
“I appreciate the ethos but we have to be practical for my business.”
Matt Genower, co-owner, Five Dollar Shake
“I’d like to think that FSC was all board today. More recently I think we would have to say the willingness to change has been key. What’s quite clear about the industry is that we have done this without it being forced, if we spoke to the general public they wouldn’t even know that we’ve done it.
“Over the next 20 years I think all packaging should change to be better for the environment.
“There’s still a culture in the industry that the product is on a sale or return – or sale or destroy – basis so all that product should at least be recyclable, although I don’t fully ever believe the product is recycled, it should be reused, maybe even given to charity.
“The culture that cards should be thrown away down needs to change, we all want to move towards everything being recycled.”
James Mace, sales and marketing manager, The Art File
“The biggest change is the reduction of cello use. Even though it’s still contentious, it’s certainly reduced. Around 80% of our customers now take cards naked, and all of the industry has done that. The amount of single-use plastic has been reduced overnight which is a lot in a £1.6billion industry.
“I’d like to ask the remaining 20% to try it, we’ll support them. A small percentage of retailers will always have to have wrap because of their retail environment but we can help with eco-wrap.
“As an industry, it is vitally important moving forwards that we find a credible long-term and viable solution to alternatives to cellowrap for a consistent message from every publisher.
“Instead of each company spending £10,000 to sort out their version, why don’t we invest £30,000 as an industry to develop a generic belly band or whatever, that works. Then we’re back to the industry being about the designs, which is what it should be.”
The sustainability-focused Products Of Change Conference takes place on 6 November at the National Geographical Society in London. To find out more and to buy tickets, click here.
