Here’s some environmental information about the production of our greeting cards.
Board
All of our cards are printed on FSC certified cardboard which is recyclable. All of our cards are printed on Symbol board by Fedrigoni. This board is free from elemental chlorine and is a solid bleached board that is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. This means that the board has been sourced in an environmentally-friendly, socially responsible and economically viable manner. It is completely bio-degradable and recyclable. Two of our ranges are printed on Tintoretto board which is also FSC certified, bio-degradable and recyclable.
Printing and Ink
Our cards are printed using Lithography. The printing plates are made using a ‘Process-less’ (or chemical free) technique. All litho printing inks are vegetable-based. The machine applied sealers and coatings are water-based. All inks and coatings used by us are manufactured without BPA, phthalates, Cadmium or SVHC’s in accordance with the guidelines and recommendations of the British Coatings Federation (BCF) and European association of national ink manufacturer associations (CEPE).
Foil
It is a common misconception that foiled greeting cards cannot be recycled. However, the aluminium foil on cards is so thin that it dissipates within the re-pulping process. RecycleNow and WRAP (who are used locally by over 90% of English authorities) have released a statement that ‘Generally, paper mills can recycle packaging that has metallic block printing on one side and no more of 60% of that sides surface area.’ We calculate that our cards have about 1-5% coverage of foil, so are well within the recycling threshold. This information is contained in the links below.
https://www.foilco.co.uk/environment/
Scroll down to ‘Recyclable and Repulpable’
https://wrap.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-04/WRAP-paper-card-packaging-design-tips-for-recycling-v4.pdf
Scroll down to Metallic/Foil Block Printing (Page 12).
Envelopes
All of our envelopes are both bio-degradable and recyclable.
Cellophane/Biodegradable bags
Each of our single cards are sold inside a biodegradable bag. These bags are not ‘cellophane’ in the strict definition of the word. They are are made from renewable resources; a PLA bio-based resin which is sourced from corn and other sources such as sugar beet and potatoes. Our Christmas 8 packs are packed inside a kraft board box that is recyclable.
Carbon Footprint
All of our cards are designed, printed, finished and warehoused within a 10-mile radius of Nottingham, UK.