collated wedding invitations printed on recycled paper with sustainable finishings

Environmental Policy

Our environment and protecting it is one of the most important details I consider when designing your wedding stationery. To create truly eco-friendly wedding invitations I believe that everything I produce should be easily recyclable in your home recycling system or reusable, with as little waste as possible. Considering the full life cycle of your wedding stationery.

I have carefully selected printers that are equally committed to reducing their impact on our planet and have strong eco-friendly ethics.

To design even more eco-friendly wedding invitations I’m always on the lookout for more innovative ways of producing things and looking to improve our environmental credentials.

Papers And Cards

Paper is based on a raw material wood. It is a natural and renewable material. Paper is one of the most recycled materials in the world*. 

My papers are all hand-selected for not only their luxurious qualities but for their amazing environmental credentials. I make sure all our paper and card are FSC® certified and recyclable in your home recycling. This means all my papers have been harvested in a responsible manner and a selection of my papers includes recycled materials. For bespoke designs, your paper choice will be discussed individually and environmental credentials explained.

I choose to use a mix of FSC certified papers and recycled papers. Recycled papers are amazing to use as they use 70% less energy compared with making them from raw materials, and recycled paper produces 73% less air pollution**. To maintain the paper cycle it is important to introduce virgin fibre into the cycle as paper can only be recycled several times before degrading. By using sustainably managed forests, no chlorine bleaching the renewable cycle can continue***.

At present the main papers that I use for your eco-friendly wedding invitations are the following;

Natural Fleck – A unique stock with a stunning canvas buttermilk white finish and coarse bright white fleck. Natural tactile texture to touch and this heavyweight premium paper is made from 100% post-consumer waste. Can be recycled with your home recycling.

Perlino Cotton – Beautiful and luxurious textured paper with insanely good environmental characteristics – FSC Certified, 20% recycled, 15% cotton fibres. This heavyweight card has a soft textured surface to touch.

Natural Smooth White – White but more on the natural side with a very slight, subtle fleck. Made from 100% genuine de-inked post-consumer waste. Smooth to look at with a slight texture to the touch.

Fresco Gesso – Chosen for its bright white, uncoated, and lightly hammered surface that holds printed colour well. This paper is recyclable, FSC certified, and made with environmentally friendly ECF pulp.

Kraft Textured – This classic kraft stock has a rich brown front with bags of character from the black and bright white flecks throughout, and a lighter grey shade on the reverse. Made using 50% recycled, acid-free fibres from a huge range of sources including old magazines, newspapers and unprinted waste. It’s also produced with no chlorine. Textured to look at with a rough, rustic and weighty, organic feel. Ideal for bellybands to add depth to a design compliments Perlino Cotton and Natural Fleck.

Kraft Smooth – Smooth, earthy paper with a natural vintage feel. This paper is manufactured from 50% post-consumer waste fibre, Kraft paper is FSC certified, carbon-neutral, and produced with wind power. Also fully recyclable.

 

Specialist papers

When I say I’m a total paper nerd, I really mean it. I go nuts at new papers. Especially recycled papers that I can use to create your eco-friendly wedding invitations and stationery. No more boring recycled papers of less quality. The paper I use is seriously gorgeous and the finest of the finest premium finds. They will take your designs from ordinary to extraordinary. Selecting the right paper can take your invitations to the next level. You don’t have to worry about making the selections, I have 20 years of studying how paper works to know what will work best for your designs and will discuss your options during your consultation.

* In 2020 a total of 56 million tonnes of paper was collected and recycled in Europe, a recycling rate of 74% – European Paper Recycling Council, Monitoring report, 2020.
** Source Environmental Solutions.
** Source Two Sides – Print and Paper Myths and Facts

 

Envelopes

The right envelope can lift an invitation, give it that extra wow factor when it lands on your guest’s doorstep. I have taken the time to source beautiful luxurious heavyweight envelopes that don’t compromise on environmental credentials. All envelopes used are made from FSC certified papers and a variety are recycled papers.

Envelope choices will be discussed during your consultation for your wedding invitations.

Our Fixtures

Along with our recyclable papers, for eco-friendly wedding invitations I like to make sure that bindings are either recyclable or reusable and will talk you through my offerings at your consultation.

All paper bellybands can be popped into your home recycling. Paper clips, natural jute fibre twine, paper twine, cotton tassels and silk/bamboo ribbons can be repurposed by your guests for their own craft projects, gifts, or office use.

I have recently done more research in my ribbon suppliers, now supplying ribbons that are individually hand-dyed by plant dyes. Cutting down the impact on the environment, along with giving a more luxurious feel.

It is important to us that your wedding stationery produces as little waste as possible. For more details please view each individual House Collection.

No fixtures or fittings use contain plastic. Keeping your wedding invitations as eco-friendly as possible.

Large Boards for Table Plans and Signage

Large boards can be a more difficult area to create fully eco-friendly table plans and signage. But I have some great options for you. I will always talk you through your options at your consultation.

Here are some great Eco-Friendly options

Eco-core board – 100% plastic-free, our 6mm recyclable Eco Boards are the lightweight solution for large wedding signage. These boards can be of a delicate nature so I only advise they are used for interior signage where they will not get knocked.

Biodegradable Foamboard – A typical foam-centred board with a white paper front and back. However, the foam has been manufactured to biodegrade in landfill making it a great eco-friendly alternative to the usual 5mm foamboard.

Vegan boards – Getting 100% vegan boards requires specialist printing techniques from a specialist supplier. Printed on an eco-core board with 100% Vegan ink and bound with Vegan adhesives. Due to the printing process of these boards, there is a higher price point than your standard boards. If you would like to know more please drop me a message.

Our Recycling and Packaging

At Ellie and Liv, I try to recycle and produce as little waste as possible, finding clever ways to reuse any waste produced.

Ellie and Liv packaging consist of recyclable cardboard boxes, protected by recycled tissue paper that is recyclable, biodegradable and compostable and fixed with recyclable paper tape. All recyclable items can be disposed of in your home recycling system and require no special recycling processes.

I carefully tie your wedding stationery that is wrapped in home compostable tissue paper with natural jute twine that is made in Britain. Any stickers that are used are printed on 100% recycled paper.

To reduce the wastage of paper I use a rubber stamp with Vegan ink to apply my logo to any notepapers or packaging. Notepapers and thank you notes are made from offcuts of paper that are trimmed from wedding stationery, ensuring my paper wastage is kept to a minimum.

I strive to continue to find the best solutions to keep waste at a minimum and reuse some packaging where possible.

On rare occasions, large signage boards may be wrapped in bubble wrap for their own protection due to their delicate nature and size. The bubble wrap is always reused from other packages we have received.

Vegetable and Vegan Inks

I work with a range of printers that are used according to your weddings stationery needs. Each printer has their own area of expertise.

All my printers have strong environmental and eco-friendly policies themselves. All of my printers use vegetable-based inks and dispose of their ink waste in a responsible and regulated manor.

If you wish to have Vegan Society Approved ink, I have a close working relationship with one of the only approved printers in the UK and can provide certified Vegan printed ink and papers for your wedding. Please ask on enquiry if this is a service you are interested in.

Powered by Green Energy

My studio electricity is provided by E.ON Next. energy. 100% of their energy comes from renewable resources such as wind power.

Sustainable Living

My love and interest in sustainability came from joining a local eco group that swaps lifestyle tips for more eco-friendly ways of living along with watching many documentaries on the impact we are having on the earth.

I believe that small changes within everyone’s household can lead to a much bigger difference in the impact we are having on our environment. While I do not pretend to be perfect and I plan on improving many aspects of our lives in time, here are just a few ways we have changed the way we live to help climate change

  • Swapped cleaning cloths for reusable ones or ones made from a natural Loofah Plant
  • Swapped some of our cleaning products for more environmentally friendly ones, I hope by end of 2023 to have swapped them all
  • Invested in reusable snack bags and storage containers, no more single-use plastic bags
  • Support local food suppliers to help reduce plastic waste and eat local seasonal produce
  • Purchase more second-hand clothing and pass on clothes we no longer use
  • Replaced all feminine care items with none plastic solutions
  • Recycle as much waste as possible
  • Meal plan, helping us reduce food waste
  • Being mindful of any new purchases, thinking of the bigger picture on how long will we use it, how will we dispose of it when finished with it, can it be reused, upcycled or recycled.

My family’s main change is our mindset. I understand that it is not always practical or financially viable to swap everything at once and it can be overwhelming trying to do it this way. I hope some of our swaps will give you a few ideas too, please pop back to see what new things we add to our list in the future

 

Giving Back

Finding ways to give back to the environment and help reduce our carbon footprint is important to Ellie and Liv. Planting trees is an important way to help us with reducing carbon emissions, this is why Ellie and Liv has chosen to plant and dedicate a tree to every couple that purchases a full wedding stationery suite. A way of helping the environment, wildlife’s natural habitats and our future generations. Please read more on my Giving Back page.