Eco-friendly stationery
- shopping guide and price comparisons
Stationary is a highly consumable product – especially if you have kids. Each year they come home with a stationary list and invariably things need replacing. Pens, pencils, sharpeners – the basics. Are there reasonably priced eco-friendly options out there for these everyday basics? How hard do you have to search to find any? And what should you be looking out for?
There are a couple of things to look out for if you want to make your stationery purchases eco-friendly. The elements to consider range from what the product is made from to its end-of-life options, and all things in-between. Of course, finding a product that ticks all the boxes is near impossible. Also, products that do tick many of the boxes tend to sell for a premium. But all is not lost because there are some reasonably priced eco-friendly stationery options out there. In fact, I was able to find a website that focuses on selling eco-friendly stationery and their products are reasonably priced, as my price comparison will show.
So in this blog post, you will find answers to:
If you click on the last link (on whether the eco-friendly option costs more than the alternative) you will find a list of commonly used items and links to where you can buy the eco-friendly option.
What do I need to look out for if I want my stationery purchases to be eco-friendly?
Below I have listed a few elements to look out for when buying stationery, to ensure your purchases are eco-friendly in some way.
Paper/ paper-based products:
* Made from 100% recycled paper
or Made from mixed materials that are FSC certified
or Made from virgin FSC-certified timber
* Chlorine-free process
* Coloured using vegetable-based inks
Other products:
* No virgin materials are used
or minimal virgin materials are used
* Made from recycled post-consumer waste such as recycled plastic, liquid paperboard and aluminium
or Made from recycled post-industrial waste such as stone, corn starch, sugar cane, plastics, rubber
or Virgin materials used have a lower carbon footprint such as bamboo
All products:
* Materials are sourced locally
* Products are made locally
* Low waste processing (minimal waste water and waste)
* Minimal packaging
* The product can be reused
or the product can be recycled at the end of its life
or the product is biodegradable at the end of its life
Companies operations:
* Carbon neutral productions
* Low waste office practices
* Does not promote over-consumption
* Makes only sustainable products
Ideally, you’d want to be able to tick off as much as possible, but we have got to be realistic. Many times there’s limited information about the product and how it is made, so it’s difficult to know whether an item ticks one of the aspects listed above. Also, I have found that many of the products that do tick most of the boxes, tend to sell for a premium that can’t be justified for such a consumable product.
But as you will see below, there are some reasonably priced products out there that tick some of these boxes.
Can FSC certification be trusted?
You will find that many paper products are FSC certified.
What does this mean?
Here is an explanation from the FSC website (1):
“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 forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. There are ten principles that any forest operation must adhere to before it can receive FSC forest management certification. These principles cover a broad range of issues, from maintaining high conservation values to community relations and workers’ rights, as well as monitoring the environmental and social impacts of the forest management.”
Like many other certification programs out there, certification is provided by external assessors who are paid by the manufacturer to do the assessment. So the assessor’s income is reliant on the company making the product. Which is problematic.
This has led to some criticism about the FSC certification program and puts to question how sustainable FSC-certified products are (4). It has been observed that FSC certification works reasonable well in countries where forestry is highly regulated, for example, the UK yet ends up being abused in more questionable markets, such as Russia (2).
I think any program is going to have its issues and you can’t write off the whole thing because of some bad apples. That said, when it comes to paper, there are alternatives. There is no need to rely on paper made from FSC-certified timber.
It is better to buy 100% recycled paper than to go for paper that is from an FSC forest.
In most cases, the product’s packaging will note if the paper is 100% recycled or not. What confused me was the FSC certification symbol would appear on these products with the words recycled underneath it (3).
Does this mean the paper is made from trees cut from an FSC-certified forest? Does it mean it is not recycled?
Actually no, it turns out the FSC provides certification for recycled products as well. When you see that symbol it means FSC assessors have certified that the product is 100% recycled.
A 100% recycled paper product does not have to have this certification to be 100% recycled, but it provides that extra layer of assurance that the product you are buying has been produced using 100% recycled paper.
There is another certification that FSC provides which is FSC Mix. If you see a product with this label it means: “Products that bear this label are made using a mixture of materials from FSC-certified forests, recycled materials, and/or FSC-controlled wood. While controlled wood is not from FSC certified forests, it mitigates the risk of the material originating from unacceptable sources” (3).
Where can I buy eco-friendly stationery?
If you take a walk around your local stationery store (most likely that would be Officeworks!) you will find many products labelled as eco-friendly. The labels aren’t greenwashing in the sense that they are making false claims about the element that makes it an eco-friendly product. However, it feels like a little bit of greenwashing on the store’s part as they sell a mass of products that are not sustainably made at all.
So I wanted to look for a store that supports sustainable practices overall, not just as an add-on on the side.
After some searching around I landed on this website: https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/
Buy Eco Green is where you can buy a good range of eco-friendly stationery. It’s going to become my go-to for the majority of my stationery needs, especially since I have two school-aged kids.
Buy Eco Green is an Australian-based online store that specialises in eco-friendly office supplies, school supplies and art and craft materials. The products they sell meet at least two of the criteria set by the company to be considered eco-friendly. A list of their criteria can be found here: https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/product-environmental-info.
Knowing their operations as a retailer have an associated carbon footprint, they work towards minimising their carbon footprint and they participate in carbon offsetting programs to cover emissions that can not be reduced.
Some products are reasonably priced. Others are quite expensive compared to the not-so-eco alternatives out there. Which led me to do a price comparison on some basic items. I’ve provided that price comparison below, along with links to specific products they sell.
A note on other online retailers…
The two major eco stores – Biome and Flora and Fauna – also have a small selection of eco-friendly stationery available online:
(1) Biome https://www.biome.com.au/1338-pens-pencils-pencil-cases – notebooks and journals aside, they have a wide selection of pencil cases and some pens and pencils. The products are more for adults rather than for kids.
(2) Flora and Fauna https://www.floraandfauna.com.au/eco-home/homewares/stationery?filters= – a little harder to search through but there are a few products here. Mainly greeting cards and notebooks. But they sell a good selection of eco crayons (biodegradable, toxin-free and plant-based). A little pricey though.
Does eco-friendly stationery cost more than normal stationery?
Each year there are some items I typically need to buy to top up our school supplies. I have listed these items in the table below and compared the price from Buy Eco Green to similar products in Officeworks. In some cases, I was able to find an eco alternative in Officeworks, so I have noted that as well.
In the last column, I have noted which store I will be buying these products from, basing my decision on price – where the price difference is high, I have gone with the Officeworks product.
| Product | Buy Eco Green | Officeworks (not eco-friendly) | Officeworks (eco-friendly) | I would buy from | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue/black pens* | $0.79 - made from recycled paper | $0.55 | $1.50 - 89% recycled materials | Buy Eco Green | |
| Red pens | $0.99 - made from recycled paper | $0.55 | $1.50 - 89% made from recycled plastic | Buy Eco Green | |
| HB pencils ** | $0.75 - FSC certified timber | $0.55 | $0.75 - FSC certified timber | Buy Eco Green | |
| Permanent marker *** | $3.95 - 70% recycled materials | $2.48 | none found | Buy Eco Green | |
| Sharpener | $2.97 | $0.48 | none found | Buy Eco Green | |
| Eraser | $1.48 - PVC free | most are PVC free | $0.38 - PVC free. | Officeworks (eco-friendly) | |
| Ruler | $2.00 - 80% recycled | $0.41 | $0.41 - 100% recycled | Officeworks (eco-friendly) | |
| Gluestick | $8.25 for 40g - recycled packaging and solvent free | $2.49 | $2.73 for 40 g - uses starch | Officeworks (eco-friendly) |
These are items that I don’t need to top up for school supplies but I regularly need to top up for home:
| Product | Buy Eco Green | Officeworks (not eco-friendly) | Officeworks (eco-friendly) | I would buy from | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scissors | $4.14 - recycled handles | $1.98 | none found online however in store they sell sizzors with 100% recycled handles for $6.49 | Buy Eco Green | https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/scissors-c108132/recycled-scissors |
| Packing tape - clear | $4.18 - biodegradable & compostable | $1.25 | $4.16 - biodegradable | Buy Eco Green | https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/sticky-tape-c108133/sticky-tape-biodegradable-compostable-18mm-50m-roll |
| Packing tape - brown | $4.95 - biodegradable & compostable, sustainable materials | none found | $4.98 - biodegradable & compostable, FSC paper | Buy Eco Green | https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/school-stationery-items-accessories-c108181/kraft-paper-packing-tape-25mm-x-50m |
| Sticky tape | $4.18 for 50 m - biodegradable & compostable | $3.25 for 50 m | $6.60 for 40 m - - biodegradable & compostable | Buy Eco Green | https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/school-stationery-items-accessories-c108181/sticky-tape-biodegradable-compostable-18mm-50m-roll |
* Another option is refillable pens: https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/pens-pencils-fsc-certified-c108175/fsc-certified-timber-ball-point-pen $1.50 refills: https://www.buyecogreen.com.au/pens-pencils-fsc-certified-c108175/ink-refill-for-fsc-ballpoint-pen-pack-of-10 $0.30 each. A good option if your kids don’t lose pens (ha!).
** Likewise a good option for pencils are mechanical pencils, which can be found in Officeworks. They aren’t expensive if you go for the budget option, so it’s something I am considering for my teenage son: https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/keji-mechanical-pencils-0-7mm-hb-4-pack-kemb710103 $0.62 each and the refills are inexpensive.
*** I’m not sure why but every year our school asks us to buy whiteboard markers as part of their school supplies. The one from Buy Eco Green looks suitable enough. But here is another option I will be checking out, once they release their products: https://ecopen.club/eco-friendly-paper-whiteboard-markers/
Exercise books
Thankfully our school no longer needs us to supply exercise books (at least not during the COVID years). Buy Eco Green does not sell lined exercise books so I will still be going to Officeworks for that. I will be looking out for these products when needed: https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/studymate-a4-70gsm-8mm-ruled-recycled-binder-book-96-page-smrecbb96
Paper
Regarding computer paper, as noted before, I strongly believe that 100% recycled paper should be the only choice. There is no reasoning I can see that justifies purchasing anything else. Not even price.
So I will be getting these: https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/j-burrows-premium-100-recycled-a4-paper-500-sheets-jbrec100a4
I couldn’t find any chlorine-free paper through. That’s a tough ask for computer paper that is expected to be white. Chlorine-free then becomes something I look out for when purchasing other paper-based products such as notebooks.
Coloured Pencils and Markers
I also didn’t dig too deep to find coloured pencils or textas since I have an abundance of those. However, I did notice Biome sells a coloured pencil set for $8.95 linked here: https://www.biome.com.au/pens-pencils-pencil-cases/37458-onyx-green-recycled-newspaper-coloured-pencils-12pk.html .
And Faber Castell has a “Naturals” range where they use FSC-certified wood. A set costs $5.48: https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/faber-castell-natural-colour-pencils-12-pack-fa16115012.
Other
There are other items I came across that I will want to buy for myself one day – notebooks, unusual items, and more premium items. I covered those in my last blog post on eco-friendly stationery options you will want to know about, so check that out if you are interested.
Final disclaimer – I have yet to try any of the products Eco Buy Green so can’t speak to the quality of the products. I do plan to buy from them when my current supplies run out. Once I have tried them out I will be sure to provide an update on how they go.
Until then I have more than enough to keep me going (if anyone has seen my Instagram stories they know this)!
xxx Tahsin
