Notebooks begin with paper and we see it as part of our mission to continue to innovate and apply sustainability practices wherever possible in our business. In this vein, we will always push the envelope of what it means to produce eco-friendly products.

First off, the standard paper used in all Vela books, pads, and sheets is now American-made and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative and ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free)-certified. This is an update from using just SFI-certified paper. What's the difference? Here are a few elements that set the certifications apart:

  • FSC prohibits the use of genetically-modified organisms and the use of persistent pesticides
  • FSC does not allow for the conversion of natural forests to plantations
  • FSC standards were developed with environmental and human rights activists weighing in. This is in contrast to SFI standards, which were developed by individuals in forest product industries only.

 

As a company, we also do quarterly reviews of our practices with the lens of looking at new ways to decrease waste, improve on the quality of materials while reducing carbon emissions, and how to utilize more local resources for sustainable materials. Please take a look at our latest report:

[LINK HERE]

Within the past year we have improved the quality of our primary-use paper, internalized our shrink-wrapping process to reduce redundancies and waste on multi-pack shipments, introduced a recertification program to sell slightly damaged notebooks at a discount, and experienced the lowest recorded number of production and ship errors thanks to quality assurance practices and the introduction of a more advanced scanning system for inventory.

As a company, we have a commitment to transparency surrounding our sustainability practices. In addition to our quarterly reviews, if you have any questions or requested additions to the report, please reach out to us at team@velasciences. We will continue to post future updates and milestones to this page, so check back for more.

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