Sustainability

Wherever possible: choose the sustainable option.

Sustainability in Materials and Products

  • 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 papers and envelopes are British-made to reduce emissions relating to transport.
  • Our ink is British-made, and when we can, we salvage old tins from print shops that are closing down.
  • 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.

Sustainable Practices in Production

  • We print our tests onto scrap paper, these scraps are made available in our scrap bags, or get recycled into new paper.
  • We reclaim ink from the press rollers and use it to decorate new sheets for notebooks, and prints.
  • Where possible, we use low-to-no-solvent methods to clean up after printing, including using specialized, 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.
  • 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.

Ethical and Local Sourcing

  • Our equipment is purchased (in order of preference) vintage, used, and locally-made-new.
  • Our equipment is recyclable (lead type, paper) or compostable (wood type).
  • Our studio is walking distance from home, so we don't need to commute by car.

Environmental and Community Commitment

  • 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.

Foraging for Wild Inks

Remember that foraging for colour, unlike foraging for food, is very much a nice-to-have. We are respectful and gracious to the plants we are collecting from, the animals whose food source we might be removing, and the people who also use the land. These are our guidelines.

When in doubt, do not harvest.
This means, sometimes, it’s nice just to go for a walk and see the colours. If you’re not sure of the ethics or legality of where or what you’re harvesting, just leave it be.

Only harvest outside of protected ecological areas.
This means doing a bit of research ahead of time, and not collecting anything, for example, from Wistman’s Woods. A map of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) areas on Dartmoor is available online.

Take what will fall off the plant, naturally, within a given season.
This means choosing to collect petals, berries, and nuts but leaving branches and lichen. When it doubt: leave it out.

Collect from windfall first.
This means collecting berries that have already fallen off the tree. The few days after a wind storm are great for colour foraging.

Take no more than you can use right now.
This means, getting to know how much plant matter is needed for your work. There is always colour available, but unlike shopping for colour, you don’t always get to choose which colour it is.

Forage for colour alone, or with a friend.
It’s easy to over-harvest when in a group. Limit the number of people, and never take more than 1/10 of what you find (total for the group, not per person). That said, be safe and aware of the weather conditions.

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.