Though many of our greeting cards are infused with wit, whimsy, and irreverence, our commitment to being a “green” company is serious. A core value of Write Hook is being environmentally responsible. An integral goal for us is to create high impact cards with a low environmental impact. Write Hook cards are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging the responsible management of the world's forests.
For Write Hook to have FSC certified cards, our cards must:
• Be overseen through the life of its production (from forest to lumber yard, to transport companies to mills, to warehouses, and finally the printer) by a "chain of custody" managed by the Forest Stewardship Council.
• Must adhere to The FSC’s stringent principles of certification in order to use the FSC logo at final printing.
The goal of the FSC is "Sustainability", meaning that forests are harvested in a manner which supports environments, and in turn, sustains/supports its local population, its businesses, and the environment itself. The intent of the FSC is to conserve biodiversity and at the same time, support local communities.? Please go to www.fscus.org for more information.
Write Hook goes beyond FSC certification when it comes to being green:
• All greeting cards and envelopes are created from 100% post-consumer recycled paper
• All greeting cards are printed using vegetable-based inks
• All greeting cards are printed on paper made using 100% green energy
• All greeting cards are printed on paper processed chlorine free
What is Post Consumer Recycled Paper?
Post consumer recycled papers are made out of paper which has already been used by end consumers. This "end-product" is then collected from recycling from various recycling programs in order to create "post-consumer recycled" paper. This is the best paper to use, in our opinion, as it uses and creates a demand for paper which would normally end up in a landfill. NO trees are cut down for making this paper.
Beyond the paper itself, producing recycled paper causes 74% less air pollution, 35% less water pollution, and creates five times the number of jobs than producing virgin paper from trees. One hundred percent post-consumer recycled paper saves old-growth trees, forest eco-systems, native habitat, and biodiversity.
And, in our opinion, 100% post-consumer recycled paper makes a beautiful greeting card with lots of impact, while at the same time leaving a very tiny footprint in our environmental world.
Why use “chlorine free” processed paper?
When chlorine is used to bleach paper, the process can also result in the formation of harmful chemicals such as dioxins and furans, which are known to cause cancer in humans. The safest paper bleaching processes are totally chlorine-free (TCF) or processed chlorine-free (PCF). (A personal aside – As a two time cancer survivor, it is critically important to us to support those manufacturers who use safe and chemical free production processes.)
White paper bleached with Chlorine and Chlorine Dioxide emit dioxin and other organochlorides into the air and water. These toxins get into the food chain and accumulate in the fat cells of animals. Through consumption, dioxin moves up the food chain and reaches its highest concentration in the animals at the top of the food chain. Humans occupy one of the slots at the top of this chain. Once in our bodies, dioxin helps cause "diabetes, endometriosis, immune system suppression, infertility and cancer." (Lois Marie Gibbs, Dying From Dioxin, South End Press, Boston, 1995, p143).
