News & Articles Hub
The Eco-friendly Card Co. Celebrates 20 Years of FSC Certification
Member News
The Eco-friendly Card Co. celebrates 20 years of FSC certification
Two decades after becoming one of the trailblazers for FSC-certified greetings cards, HGA member The Eco-friendly Card Co. is celebrating a milestone commitment to responsible forestry.
Twenty years, two certificates and one long-standing commitment to doing things differently.
This autumn, The Eco-friendly Card Co. is celebrating the 20th anniversary of gaining its own FSC® Chain of Custody certification.
Back in 2006, when the business was known as Glebe Cottage, it became the first direct-to-independent-retail greetings card publisher in the UK to become FSC-certified.
Two decades later, that commitment is still going strong.
Then & Now
20 years of FSC certification
Where it all started
Sustainability was already firmly on the company's agenda long before its FSC certification.
The business had switched exclusively to 100% recycled envelopes in the mid-1990s, but wanted to go further than vague claims around “sustainable forestry” and find a meaningful, verifiable way to communicate the environmental credentials of its cards to retailers and consumers.
FSC Chain of Custody certification provided exactly that.
“Obtaining our own FSC Chain of Custody certification back in 2006 was incredibly exciting and opened up many opportunities for us.”
Susanna Morrish, Co-founder, The Eco-friendly Card Co.
At the time, finding recycled-content board wasn't easy. FSC certification allowed the company to commission its own FSC-certified board for greetings cards and continue experimenting with more sustainable materials.
One example was its “Coffee” board in 2015, made using 50% coffee-cup manufacturing waste and 50% FSC Mix fibre. Today, all of the board used for the company's cards is FSC Recycled.
What does FSC Recycled mean?
Paper used in FSC-certified products must meet verifiable environmental standards. The FSC Recycled label indicates that the paper has been made from 100% recycled pulp.
Two decades of helping put responsible forestry in front of consumers
FSC UK has also recognised the significance of the company's long-standing commitment.
“The Eco-friendly Card Co. is a leading light in its industry, as one of the first card publishers in the UK to obtain FSC certification, and we would like to congratulate it on an impressive two decades of commitment to FSC.”
Rosie Teasdale, Executive Director, FSC UK
Celebrating at Autumn Fair
See The Eco-friendly Card Co. in Hall 8, Stand F37
The anniversary celebrations are kicking off at the NEC Autumn Fair, where the company will also launch a new collection of 30 greetings card designs through its long-standing licensing relationship with The Wildlife Trusts.
The new range celebrates British wildlife and is printed on textured FSC Recycled board, with each product including interesting information about the species depicted.
And there's something extra for Autumn Fair visitors...
To mark the occasion, The Eco-friendly Card Co. has teamed up with FSC-certified bird and insect product manufacturer The Nestbox Company.
At the show
20 FSC-certified bug hotels will be given away, with one available to each of the first five customers to place an order on each of the four days of Autumn Fair.
Visitors will also be able to pick up resources about FSC and find out more about supporting responsible forestry.
Sustainability beyond FSC
The company's environmental approach extends beyond its FSC certification.
| 100% recycled Board and envelope paper. |
|
| Alcohol-free printing Used exclusively across production. |
|
| UK manufacture Products are manufactured exclusively in the UK. |
|
| Green energy Part of the company's wider environmental commitments. |
|
| Carbon balancing Paper and board purchases have been carbon-balanced through the World Land Trust since 2019. |
Member News
Congratulations to The Eco-friendly Card Co.
Twenty years is quite the milestone, and a brilliant example of what long-term environmental commitment can look like in practice. Congratulations to the whole team at The Eco-friendly Card Co. on two decades of FSC certification.
Home & Gift Association
Your Industry. Your Community. Your Growth Partner.