Today’s Scrapbook Update guest blogger is Vicki Flinchum.
Known to many in the scrapbook community as Texas ScrapAddict, Vicki is an experienced designer and instructor. She currently designs for Zutter Innovative Products, Purple Cows, E.A.D. Designs, Heart of Texas Studios, Texana Designs and My Town Papers. You can learn more about her at her Etsy Store or her blog.
Green products, green living, green consuming: the emphasis in 2009 has been to reduce, reuse and recycle. We see it in advertising. Our children are taught it in school. With the downturn in the world economy, conspicuous consumption has been on the decline, and “going green” is in vogue.
It is no secret that the scrapbooking industry consumes large amounts of paper products. Has the industry begun the transition to reducing this consumption and rely more on recycled and natural materials? Yes, it has. There are numerous companies who offer products made from recycled or natural materials, print with soy based inks and package their products in recycled or eco friendly packaging. Some of these include: K & Company, JilliBean Soup, Die Cuts With a View, Paper Trunk, Piggy Tales, Prima Marketing Inc, Pink Paisley and Colorbok. This list, of course, is not all inclusive and should not be construed as such.
Will the trend continue? Only time will tell. Can the industry do more? Yes, a lot more. The majority of manufacturers still print with fresh paper and synthetic inks. Product packaging still utilizes lots of acetate and plastic. More manufacturers need to join the ranks of the eco friendly and rely more on recycled and all natural materials, print with soy based inks and package their products in recycled or eco friendly packaging. Since the industry seems bent on introducing multiple new lines and products several times a year, perhaps it should consider making these lines more compatible with existing products they have already produced (allowing consumers to use up older products, but still incorporate new). Or, if the industry is not willing to abandon the idea of planned obsolescence, then perhaps it could offer incentive plans to those who “trade in” their outdated product for new.
But let’s remember, a lot of what the industry does remains in the hands of consumers. If the industry sees sales of eco friendly products increase and other products decline and if it sees public concern high for going green, it will spend the money for changing manufacturing processes, sourcing new materials, recycling and maybe even incorporating ideas like those mentioned above. If not, it won’t. After all, investing in change requires a return on that investment.
So,we, the consumers share the burden too. What can we, as consumers, do? Seek out manufacturers that offer green products and buy those products. Use up our product stash before we buy new. Recycle our own scraps, make our own paper and embellishments. Want more ideas? Then go to the internet and look up green crafting or scrapbooking. You will be surprised at the amount of information out there.
So, we’re going green. Is the scrapbooking industry there yet? No, not really, but it is trying. Are we as consumers there yet? No, not really either. But we are trying and we need to keep trying. Our voices are heard with the money we spend. Investigate, reward those who are trying with your purchases and do your part. Together, we can all make a difference.
Want to stay up-to-date on all the latest scrapbook news?
Subscribe to Scrapbook Update in a Reader
-Or-
Subscribe to Scrapbook Update on the Kindle
I recently bought some Tim Holtz Idealogy metal embellishments and the packaging for his products is just outrageous. I certainly don’t have space to store it, it’s inconvenient and certainly not ‘green’! A complaint email to Ranger is in order……… However, franky I don’t look to see if the paper products I buy are recycled material or have soy inks, so I’m behind the curve!
Some of the packaging in the industry is totally crazy. It’s only when we as consumers take the time to say to the manufacturers, “hey..that’s wasteful” do they change. So I certainly can’t keep all the packaging everything comes in either. I keep what I can and recycle the rest. Going green is about awareness as much as anything!
I work at a craft store and am a bit “green-conscious” so I have a lot of insight on this. First of all, there is SOOOO much waste that the consumer doesn’t even know about in related to the packaging of the shipment as we receive it on our receiving dock. Every box of paper/stickers/stamps we receive has packaging filler in it so the product doesn’t get all knocked around. Sometimes a box is only 1/3 full and the rest is filler. Some companies use paper, which we can recycle, but many use Styrofoam peanuts, which go in the garbage and is terrible for the environment. Companies should all use paper as filler, and they should have more sizes of boxes for their shipping so that they can choose a box size based on the order size, reducing the amount of filler needed.
Some package sizes are much larger than necessary, but theft can be an issue here. Just today I was thinking how Provo Craft’s packaging for their Deep Cut blades was much larger than necessary, and entirely plastic that would be thrown away. However, the item sells for $14.99 and if the packaging were about the size of the item, it would be a very high theft risk. It’s unfortunate that we have to take that into consideration as well.
I am a big fan of Unity cling stamps, and they use wind power energy and recycled paper packaging for their stamps. But customers are frequently frustrated by the packaging and the tiny plastic window to view the stamps. The plastic packaging utilized by Stampendous and Hero Arts is not nearly as green, but much easier to see the product.
Unfortunately, sometimes going green really isn’t rewarded. But companies should still weigh out what they can do to be more green, and how they can make it cost effective for them and benefit the consumer. Some things will work better than others, and it will vary from company to company based on the product they sell.
I whole heartedly agree Emily. There is much waste in packing and shipping. As an eductator, I too order direct from manufacturers and it’s the styrofaom that drives me crazy. I can use and reuse the cardboard and paper packing, but not that foam. And, you are correct, there are some manufacturers who are so careful to pack their product in just the right size box to minimize shipping waste.
And, sure, it’s all a trade off. Green is NOT always easy, convienent or cheap. And with the current economic climate, making environmentally friendlier choices can be harder on a business’s bottom line.
All we can do as consumers is be more aware of the environmental element and realize the trade-offs involved, not only for the manufacturers but for us as well.
I agree with you Vicki, it takes everyone to make a difference. I work for Australian scrapbooking company Kaisercraft and we have just recently started using re-usable ziplock packaging for packaging our clear stamps, rubons, embellishments etc for our new collections. We’ve also made binders too – so you don’t have to throw your packaging out – it is reused as storage for your scrap supplies.
This is only one small step in moving towards ‘greener’ manufacturing, but still see it as a positive step none-the-less.
Thanks for a great article!
Thank you Alison! I’m thrilled to hear Kaisercraft is using the zip-locks for acrylic stamps. What a great idea!
I recently won a prize package from Kaisercraft’s blog and was so excited when I received it, not by just all the fun product, but by those reusable ziplock bags. Those are not cheap flimsy ziplock backs, they are truly a good storage system. Kaisercraft turned their packaging green in a way that I think will be VERY appealing to consumers, AND created a whole new item (their binder) for them to sell.
The one downside is that they are sized perfectly for Kaisercraft’s product, which is sized smaller than a lot of competitors, and therefore aren’t likely to work well with other stickers or rubons I have after I use up my Kaiser ones. But I can still store my smaller items such as rhinestones and flowers in them.
That packaging sounds great! I often reuse zip bags for all sorts of things, including stamps, embellishments, buttons. Use what you have and adjust it to fit your needs!!