Waste Not Paper

Links: Out of Hand, Waste Not Paper

Met with Maggie from Out of Hand on Pitt St in the Old Village today. We went over my options for invitations. She's totally on board with the green theme (which is refreshing) and had some great ideas and actual knowledge on the subject. She's working on the design portion for me, but here's what we've semi decided so far.

- The paper is from Waste Not Paper of Chicago, IL, 100% recycled and 30% post consumer waste
- The ink is soy based and will be printed locally
- We're ditching the traditional RSVP, directions, and other event cards (doing all that online instead)to reduce our paper waste

We discussed using organic cotton paper instead of traditional fibers but the thickness requires imprinted lettering. While I loved the way this looked, the process to make this happen requires personalized copper plates, big machines, and lots of shipping. After talking it out...the environmental costs to get this look are just not worth it to me. Maggie seems very creative and is a engineer/computer graphics person in addition to an artist. I think she'll do a great job helping me get what I want. Local brides...give her a call!

About Waste Not Paper (from their website):
The foundation for all of our great products is paper. Our paper - the base for wrap, notes, stickers and more - is created domestically, which means it didn't travel the world to get to you!

Our paper comes from mills that practice responsible, sustainable forestry as certified by objective 3rd parties. Much of our product is created using renewable energy sources, such as hydro power or wind power.

Our entire line of solid cards, envelopes and paper is produced without elemental chlorine (PCF). Our printers operate with reduced volatile organic compound (VOC) emission and recycle their ink waste. Many of our note sets are handmade from renewable content, usually cotton or bark fiber.

Eco-White, made of 100% recycled content with 30% PCW, is the base for our printed notes, wrap and bags. We also donate, reuse, and recycle all of our scrap paper. In addition, we have added new labels to our note sets and wrap which feature information about their recycled content.

Waste Not from Start to Finish Poster (PDF)
We have nearly completed the bulk transition, offering our line of exclusive solid colors with recycled content containing at least 30% PCW (post-consumer waste). Beginning this year, our luxe papers are also made in the USA and contain recycled content.
We have swapped out all of our packing materials to reduce waste (and peanuts), and continue to look for creative ways to reuse packing materials.

Encouraging our employees to follow eco-friendly practices is an important part of our business. We recently moved into a "rehabbed," 12,000 square foot warehouse in the Chicago's northwest loop. Our location makes it easy for and encourages employees to use public transportation. For three years, we have been a top participating company of our size in the Chicago Bike-to-Work Week Challenge. We have a successful recycling program at our headquarters and try to find creative, beautiful uses for our scrap.

Watch for more environmental practices in the future as we find new and innovative ways to incorporate eco-friendliness into our business. We are confident that beauty and environmental responsibility can go hand-in-hand.