What’s the story behind the world’s greenest notebook?

If you’ve popped into any of our Green Collect recommerce stores, you would have seen our Upcycled Notebooks, proudly displayed in various designs. But did you know those notebooks started their life looking quite differently? Read on to hear more about how we have resource recovery measures to create the world’s greenest notebook.  

So how did our notebooks come to be?

Thanks to our Office Collection services, we were amassing large quantities of miscellaneous stationery like letterheads, lever arch folders, binders and more. It was the genius suggestion from our team that inspired us to explore the reuse potential of these items. Thus, the notebook was born! Upcycled from materials sourced through our cage collections, extending the lifespan of stationery goods and encouraging circular economy practices in our day-to-day work. We found a solution that saved items from landfill and extended the environmental impact beyond what is possible from recycling.

We take cardboard found inside lever arch folders, size and trim them to fit a designated size and then bind that with discarded paperstock, collected art and more to build our notebooks. The entire process occurs here in our Braybrook warehouse, with our team processing, sorting, cutting, quality assuring and making the notebooks by hand. No two notebooks are ever exactly alike, due to the unique artwork we salvage for the front cover. From discarded X-rays, old Melways pages to even market-fruit boxes, we always keep an eye on materials that will make stunning one-of-a-kind covers. 

Did you know that every 10 notebooks sold creates 1 hour of employment?

While the sustainable importance of our notebooks is significant, the notebook-making process serves a greater purpose for our dedicated team. Since its inception, our notebooks have generated work opportunities for people who often have had prior disengagement from the workforce. This employment opportunity has been life-changing for many of our team and provided them with deep meaningful work in the growing ‘green economy’ sector. 

Green Collect is committed to creating circular economy advocates by providing learning and upskilling programs for our team. We are already seeing the effects of this, with more of our team feeling inspired to reuse and repurpose items or reinvent product designs entirely. As a work-first social enterprise, we are proud to provide an inclusive working environment that fosters a culture of growth and innovation.

Notebooks for your organisation

If you are interested in our notebooks as part of a social procurement strategy, we can stylise our notebook covers to suit your needs. We can add your company logo, help showcase a local artist from your community or be the take-home gift to commemorate an event. Green Collect notebooks are an alternative stationery solution that supports a circular economy. Custom notebooks can be purchased here. 

For wholesale opportunities, please contact hello@greencollect.org