Wherever possible: choose the sustainable option.
Using this as a guiding statement has resulted in the following choices:
- Our papers and envelopes are British-made to reduce emissions relating to transport.
- Our papers and envelopes are made from recycled materials. It's not always FSC-certified, because that certification process is too expensive for some of our producers.
- Our pencils are made in England, and the wood for them is from an FSC-certified source.
- Our packaging is recycled or compostable, and reused where it makes sense.
- Our equipment is purchased (in order of preference) vintage, used, and locally-made-new.
- Our ink is British-made, and when we can, we salvaged tins from old print shops.
- Our equipment is recyclable (lead type, paper) or compostable (wood type).
- Where possible, we use low-to-no-solvent methods to cleanup after printing, including using specialised, handmade brushes from Rosa Harradine.
- When we do need to use solvents, we opt for the industry's best in terms of lowest impact on the environment.
- Our studio is walking distance from home, so we don't need to commute by car.
- For clean-up, we use old rags, instead of rolls of paper towelling. The rags are more robust, and just make more sense than using first-use paper products.
- We print our tests onto scrap paper.
- We recycle our paper offcuts into new paper.
- We reclaim ink from the press rollers and use it to decorate new sheets for notebooks, and prints.
- We donate a portion of our profits to forest and hedgerow regeneration projects in the UK, as well as peatland restoration in the UK and globally -- we're aiming to send 1%.
- We volunteer with Protect Earth, and our local litter pick.
- (The list really does go on, and on.)
Sometimes our choices cost a little more, sometimes they cost a little less, sometimes they take a little longer, sometimes they speed things up. But every one of those choices helps us to reduce our impact on the environment.