We're stationery nuts at The Fashion Advocate. We have positive notes and colourful squares blue-tacked from wall to wall and more shades of pink notepaper than you poke a metallic re-fillable pen at. If you can write with it, on it, file in it, or find a place for it in our office, we have it. We love stationery, and we're not ashamed to admit it.
What we don't love, are the adverse sustainability impacts of stationery. Australians alone use nearly two million tonnes of printing and writing paper every single year, and when we're done with it, we toss it away. In the process, millions of litres of water are wasted, all kinds of toxic inks are used to create it, and then there's the loss of hundreds of thousands of trees.
You might not often think about the lifecycle of something as small as a post-it note, but the earthly impacts are big, and it's an eco-issue that change-making stationery business, Earth Greetings, is tackling.
Earth Greetings share our values and they're committed to a sustainable future, which is why they've partnered with The Fashion Advocate in support of our upcoming runway, IDENTITY. Each guest will receive complimentary goodies from Earth Greetings, and if you're anything like us (aka a stationery nut), you'll love what you find in your goodie bag.
Heide Hackworth, Earth Greetings' Founder, knows a thing or two about great stationery and having a good impact too...
What is Earth Greetings?
Earth Greetings create beautiful stationery and homewares with the lightest possible footprint. This means we only use 100% recycled, natural, organic, vegan and plastic-free materials, and zero-waste packaging for our products. We are a carbon neutral business, and so are our products, and we donate a minimum of 10% of all profits to environmental charities. We aim to create useful products that support Australian artists who produce designs inspired by Australian nature.
Your products are 100% Earth-friendly. What obstacles did you face to ensure the sustainable and eco-friendly nature of your paper?
When I started Earth Greetings 15 years ago, it was really difficult to get printers and suppliers to take my questions about recycling and sustainability seriously. Thankfully, things have changed for the better now, and it is an issue that many suppliers have addressed. Nowadays, navigating the greenwashing is the biggest challenge.
Why are you so passionate about supporting Australian artists and designers?
It goes back to wanting to create products that celebrate the beauty and diversity of Australian native plants and animals. Our Australian-based artists who spend time in nature, interpret this in many different ways, each with their own unique talent and spin on it. It’s also exciting and rewarding to think that we are playing a part in helping artists to make a living doing what they love. I’ve been on their side of the fence and know it can be a challenging career choice, so I love seeing them succeed!
Your notebooks are pretty popular! What else does Earth Greetings create?
We also create diaries, pocket notebooks, journals, writing material, pads and sets, tea towels and bamboo decorations. Annually, we produce a beautiful Artist Calendar featuring our favourite pieces from a mix of our artist collaborators. The calendar is always really popular, and we have sold out of the 2019 one already!
What is Earth Greetings doing to make a difference for animals in Australia?
We love helping native animals with our ‘10% for the planet’ giving program. As well as regular donations to Animals Australia and a range of conservation organisations, Earth Greetings do specific fundraisers each year for the Adelaide Koala and Wildlife Hospital during Save The Koala Month, and we support Save The Bilby Fund during Easter. We have a really cute Bamboo Bilby planned this Easter to directly support the fund, stay tuned!
To support Earth Greetings and make a positive impact with your stationery choices, shop the range here, and if you're yet to purchase tickets to the 2019 IDENTITY event, be quick. We sold out last time!
The Fashion Advocate x
