Eco-friendly cards & recycled greeting cards

Choosing eco friendly cards

Eco friendly cards are made from recycled, upcycled or FSC-certified paper, printed with care and sent without a plastic sleeve where possible. Check the paper source and whether the card has glitter or foil, which stops it being recycled. A card with a blank inside suits any message, and a pack of the same design keeps things simple when you have a lot to send. Bouclé sells most of the eco friendly cards here, many printed by hand from linocuts. We checked each maker for how its cards are printed and what they are printed on.

Christmas cards

For Christmas, Bouclé makes handprinted Christmas cards with holly, mistletoe and fir tree designs, and a set of handprinted Christmas cards. A set of the same design saves time when you are writing a long list. Write cards with a pen rather than a felt tip on soft, handprinted paper, and leave the ink to dry before you seal the envelope. Check the Royal Mail last posting dates for Christmas, especially for cards going abroad.

Recycled greeting cards and upcycled paper

Recycled greeting cards give paper a second life. So Just Shop sells handmade upcycled paper cards in a set of four and hand embroidered greeting cards. The Mood Club makes its You Make Me Feel cards, with messages such as grateful, peaceful, dreamy and adventurous, printed in the UK on FSC-certified paper. Bouclé also sells cards from Studio Evermade and David Shrigley.

Cards for every occasion

Bouclé's handprinted cards include House in Hand, Lavender in Hand, Citrus in Hand, Interlinked Hands and Cheese Plant designs, which suit birthdays, new homes and thank yous. Keep a few blank cards in a drawer for last-minute occasions, such as a neighbour's new baby or a colleague's leaving do. A handprinted card can also be framed afterwards, so it lasts longer than most cards. Most paper cards can go in your paper recycling after the season, as long as there is no glitter, foil or plastic. Stationery has handprinted cards and notebooks, Gift Wrapping has tags and gift boxes, Christmas & Seasonal has Christmas decorations, and Biodegradable, compostable, recyclable: What these words actually mean explains paper labels.