Sustainability

At Bookblock we are conscious of our impact on the planet. That is why, step by step, we try and make efforts to lessen this impact, and make our business more sustainable.

We believe in a greener future, with responsible businesses selling better products.

What actions did we take so far ?

As an actor of the paper industry, and stationery manufacturer we make it a point of honour to use FSC certified paper for all our products, notebooks, diaries and cards.

All our paper is now FSC certified and you can decide to have this label printed on the notebooks you order from us.

What is FSC ?

FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, which is an international non profit organization, promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.
FSC forest management certification confirms that the forest is being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers, while ensuring it sustains economic viability.
FSC certified paper is usually partly issued from recycled paper paste.

Packaging

We considerably diminished the amount of plastic we use for packaging and replaced it by cardboard scraps. Meaning you can put all our packaging in the recycling chain.

The shrinkwrap used on each individual booked is a bio based material, and can be recycled. It consists for more than 40% of a polyethylene produced from sugarcane ethanol.

In the current global context of high fossil fuel dependency, and facing the depletion of the planet’s resources, sugarcane derived ethylene is a more sustainable alternative.

Products

We also pride ourselves sourcing for you premium sustainable products for company who care, like us, about their impact on the environment. Therefore we sourced biodegradable quality pens made of straw, bamboo or carbon neutral options.

Recently we introduced new sustainable notebooks options, like the Kraft and Cork notebooks, avoiding the use of PU materials, because paper remains the most recyled material in the world.

We also sourced a 90gsm stock fully issued from recycled paper paste.

Materials

We are always on the lookout for innovative processes and materials to make our notebooks and journals more respectful of the environment.

That is why we recently sourced a certified fully recycled 90gsm paper stock.

We can also offer RPET thread for elastic and ribbon bands made from recycled water bottles, on orders from 1000 units.

We currently use biodegradable protein glue for our case making, maker, EVA for backing and PVA glue for casing in. We are working on switching fully to biodegradable adhesives in the future.

How to make sustainable notebooks ?

All paper made products will be generally considered more sustainable compared to a lot of other manufactured goods. However if you wish to create an environmentally friendly journal, there are a few things to take into consideration. If paper is widely recyclable (and recycled) or biodegradable, this is not the case for all materials entering the composition of a notebook. For instance it would be a bit pointless to try and make a “green” journal, opting for recycled paper, while using a PU cover which are hardly recyclable. In order to be recycled the inner block should be then torn away from the cover and disposed off in a paper recyling chain. Additions such as bookmark ribbons, elastic band and pen loops will also make the journals harder to recycle. That’s why the best options to make your journals recyclable are simple card covers. A saddle stiched folded cahier remains the best example.

It is also crucial to consider transportation and CO2 emissions when trying to achieve an environmental product with low footprint. We will always suggest a road or sea freight delivery for large volumes, as it is cheaper and lessen the carbon footprint. However it usually takes long to deliver and it is important to allow more time in your scheduled timeframe when choosing this type of transportation.