Choose Eco-Friendly Christmas Cards (reasons to switch)
Although FSC-certified card is from ‘sustainable forests’, this still means old growth trees are cut down to make way for fast-growing plantations that use pesticides and don’t give food or shelter to birds and wildlife. Choose recycled greetings cards, buy in multi-packs to save money (and so you always have one to hand).
This tree-mendous Christmas card is not just featuring trees, but saves trees as it’s made from post-consumer waste. It features eye-catching trees in a burst of cheerful colours for a charming festive card.
Read more on keeping pets safe at Christmas (many plants including holly, mistletoe and poinsetta are unsafe near animal friends).
Only send plantable cards to pet-free homes, as many contain toxic herbs and wildflowers. Also most companies use non-native seeds, which are not good for local birds and wildlife.
This pack of eco-friendly vintage Christmas cards is sold in sets of 10 or 20, based on mid-century retro designs. Printed on recycled card, and sent in plastic-free eco-friendly packaging.
Little Difference (greetings cards on recycled paper)
Little Difference is a fantastic company that produces greetings cards on recycled card (the company is co-founded by an artist from Isle of Wight). Although now based in New Zealand, the cards for UK shipping addresses are printed in Kent, to save on air miles.
Instead, this company uses profits to help fund tree-planting projects in deforestation-risk countries like Madagascar, home to more unique species than anywhere else on earth.
You can shop by occasion (including Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, any occasion (!), sympathy, new baby, new home, children, father’s day, weddings and thank you cards. Multi-packs are also sold, to stock up!
All are designed by our Isle of Wight native, and all the ‘boring stuff’ is done her husband (accounts etc). Another couple have also come on board, so this is a real ambitious project, to change the plastic-wrapped, tree-chopping-down, not-doing-much-but-make-profits greetings card industry (which often includes glitter that can’t be recycled and contains microplastics).
Wholesale orders are also available, so cards printed in Kent can be sold in independent shops. It can also offer custom designs and wedding stationery on request.
Little Difference also offers lovely calendars and fun art prints for children’s walls (both printed on recycled card and sent in compostable packaging).
Greentings (reusable cards from post-consumer waste)
Greentings is a wonderful company that produces pretty reusable greetings cards. All are made with post-consumer waste (to save trees) and come with removable inserts and envelopes, so the cards can be reused to send again!
When you normally receive a card, you have to throw it away or recycle it, due to the person sending it having written a message. Now you just remove that part, pop in a new insert and send it to someone else. You can even use the card passport to follow the card’s journey around the world!
Made in England, a tree is planted for each card bought. Run by a small family business, postage is just 50p (no matter how many cards you buy). Corporate accounts are available.
