Where to Buy Zero Waste Greetings Cards

Choosing zero waste greetings cards helps cut down on single-use waste and skips the plastic, foil, and glitter that can harm the environment. These eco-friendly cards often use recycled or post-consumer paper. Many come without plastic wrap and avoid toxic inks, so you can send a note without the guilt.

Whether you’re eco-conscious or just want to reduce waste, this guide covers where to buy truly sustainable greetings cards that don’t add to landfill. Also read our post on zero waste gift wrap.

Stephanie Cole Designs offers really nice greetings cards, all made from recycled card and sent in recycled envelopes.

When their cellophane protective packaging runs out (recycle at kerbside or supermarket bag bins), cards will all be sent ‘naked’ (without packaging).

Avoid sending plantable gift wrap and cards to homes with pets, as most wildflowers are unsafe near animal friends. Read our post on keeping pets safe at Christmas. 

Choose ‘naked’ cards

‘Naked cards’ are those sold without plastic wrap, and made from post-consumer recycled paper. These also avoid glitter, foil and glossy coatings, making the cards easy to recycle or compost.

Beautiful Bird Greetings Cards 

These beautifully illustrated sets of greetings cards are all by a US artist, a best-seller on Etsy.

Choose your favourites, then stock up so you always have an inspiring card to send, which also supports a local artist, and helps to get the word out on the wonder of birds! Packed in handsome brown kraft paper gift boxes. Choose from:

Shorebirds (sandpiper & whelk, herring gull, Arctic tern, ruddy turnstone and piping plover).

Winter Birds are blank inside. Each bird is labelled on the back: a mourning dove, mountain bluebird, dark-eyed junco, red-breasted nuthatch and barn owl (the last two local!)

Scandi-inspired Recycled Greetings Cards

These Scandi-inspired recycled greetings cards are perfect to stock up on, so you can buy a set and pick one to send to someone you love, whenever it’s a birthday or special occasion.

These cards are hand-painted and printed onto eco-fleck card in an A6 size. The cards are blank inside for your message, and are sold with 100% recycled brown Kraft envelopes.

Christmas Greetings Cards (on recycled paper)

This set of vintage-style Christmas cards is ideal to stock up on, to send a tree-friendly Christmas card to someone you love. The cards are hand-painted and printed onto eco-fleck card in an A6 size.

The cards are blank inside for your message, and are sold with 100% recycled brown Kraft envelopes.

Choose from a pack of 5 (one of each design), a pack of 10 (2 of each design) or a pack of 20 (four of each design). The artist also offers a  a festive stamp design. And a retro-style pack of recycled Christmas cards.

A Pack of Recycled Botanical Christmas Cards

These botanical Christmas cards are not just lovely to look at and supports an indie artist.

Did you know that many Christmas plants are toxic to pets, including mistletoe, holly and poinsettia (the three featured here)? Read more on keeping pets safe at Christmas.

The cards offers 2 cards of each designed, printed on high quality 350gsm recycled white card, and sent with a recycled kraft envelope.

The cards are A6 and blank inside for your own message, and sent wrapped in tissue, and packaged plastic-free in a hardboard envelope or postal box for protection.

Artist Rachel Mahon paints from her garden studio in Nottingham. All her designs use carefully considered colour palettes, inspired by the plants grown in or around her home.

Hedgerow Christmas Cards

This set of recycled ‘folk art’ Christmas cards features lovely folk art of some of our favourite species. The cards feature 5 cosy images, featuring among them: squirrels, fox, owls, badgers, frogs, mushrooms and starry night skies.

Each card is A6 size, blank inside and includes a recycled brown envelope. Lovingly designed by a talented artist, stock up to send out during the festive season, raise a smile and save some trees at the same time!

Fun Personalised Cards (on recycled paper)

We love Alice Palace! This artist creates gorgeous personalised cards and gift wrap, made with green energy and printed on recycled paper or card.

England is in danger of becoming a boring monotone, and this company offers just the opposite. Quirky, fun and a little bit ‘English eccentric!’ The greetings cards are all blank inside.

Cards (from makers with complex epilepsy)

Usually we only list cards on the site made from post-consumer waste. And it would be great if this company progressed to this. But they are in biodegradable wrapping.

Arthouse Unlimited is listed, as the charity gives jobs to people with complex epilepsy, who may not otherwise be able to find fulfilling work. They make fun art, to sell these lovely greetings cards, that are sure to bring a smile to someone’s face.

The makers can attend art sessions that are held six days a week, with two sessions per day. Each session has up to seven artists, plus a shop assistant placement. There are fewer artists, where higher levels of support are needed, to ensure personal attention and emotional support.

Many of the makers are unable to speak, so displaying their emotions and fun side through art, it a wonderful way for them to feel appreciated by society, and make a difference!