The creation of Wendy Jones-Blackett’s major range launch for Spring Fair, Evergreen took place in the publisher’s studio as well as in the kitchen.
The soon to be launched eco-luxury range of hand-finished designs uses recycled materials, biodegradable glitter and a special homemade plant-based glue that is made fresh every day in the publisher’s kitchen.
“The way we approach designing cards now is changing,” says Wendy Jones-Blackett, who co-owns the company with her husband Steve. “We’ve always been mindful of waste and our carbon footprint but we’re now having to look more closely at the materials we use, where they come from and what will ultimately happen to the product when it reaches the end of its shelf life.”
Wendy and the team at the publisher’s offices in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, spent time researching plastic-free glues and came to the conclusion that there was nothing on the market which suited their needs. “We trawled the internet for recipes for a variety of homemade glues, ran a few trials and ended up with our own version which we can now make in the kitchen daily on-site. The recipe is a closely guarded secret, but I can reveal that it most definitely is plant based!!” stated Wendy.
The cards are printed individually at their studios (so stock levels are tightly controlled with no big print runs) onto recycled board from GFSmith made from post-industrial waste, with visible reclaimed waste fibres incorporated into the board. The envelopes are Kraft 100% recycled, and the glitter is biodegradable and plastic-free.
“I didn’t want to sacrifice the concept of a beautiful end product just by going ‘green’, hence the eco-luxury emphasis,” adds Wendy.
Evergreen will debut at Spring Fair (Hall 2, stand F21) with 40 designs, all 165mm square, sealed naked with a branded Kard Klasp, with a sign off on the rear saying the card is a ‘a little piece of gorgeousness that didn’t cost the planet’.
The first ten retailers to order Evergreen will receive a free ‘Beebomb’, a handmade native wildflower seedball from the RHS‘ ‘perfect for pollinators’ list.
Top: The new Evergreen range is being marketed as eco-luxury by Wendy Jones-Blackett.
