A new year is upon us! In the blink of an eye 365 days have passed and there are another 365 just waiting to be explored. New beginnings are always exciting, encouraging people to stretch out beyond their comfort zone and take things to a new level. Many New Year’s resolutions have been set in the last few weeks and now is the time that a lot of those are either passing or failing the test of time and determination.
There are many different personal and fun resolutions that occur from asking a few questions. How one can do better is often thought of. What one can do to better themselves or their environment are others. Some people have simply had a crazy past year and are looking for some sort of organization in their life.
If you were nodding your head or mentally agreeing with any of the above, then have I got the right company and products for you!
Paper. It has been used to profess love, end wars, declare births, officially start marriages, write laws, begin new countries, pay for goods, wrap presents, bring other worlds alive, teach us most of what we know, and so much more. We most often use paper during some part of our day which makes it easy to forget just how stressful the use of this wonderful resource can be on our environment. This stress can be lightened if the right choices are made.
The Company
Ecojot is a sustainable paper product business based in Toronto that I stumbled upon around a year ago when just finishing up my college degree. I was realizing that there were so many options out in the world and if I needed to purchase something I wanted to make the most eco-friendly choices when possible. Since we tend to use more paper products than we realize, I started searching for companies that were making a conscious effort to work as sustainably as possible. However, I didn’t want to see them sacrifice cuteness and Ecojot does not disappoint!
I had the honor to correspond with Mark Gavin, one part of the brother and sister team that founded Ecojot back in 2007. Ecojot sells planners, jumbo journals, workbook sets, and sketchbooks on their main site, each of them displaying a glimpse into the artist’s mind. Bright, tasteful, and inspiring would be the best way I would think to describe these products. With a price range between $16.00 and $21.00, they offer a way to incorporate sustainability into your everyday life with something you need anyway.
The Artist
Carolyn Given, designer of all of the lovely products made, has a unique way of using bright and vivid colors that pop right off of the covers. The designs that she brings to the table can inspire just as much as they have been inspired. With several different designs available and commissioned work being an option, it’s nearly impossible to choose just one product when going onto the online site!
(Image used with permission.)
With some of her clients being Anthropologie, The Jane Goodall Institute, and UNICEF, I knew that I had to find out more about how this small, sustainable company has blossomed into something so much greater.
The Good
From 1999 to 2007 this company was ran under the name Mirage. At the time they were still thinking of how to make the least possible waste, recycling paper offcuts. However, a leap in awareness of recycled product use spurred on the company to convert all of the paper and board to be 100% post-consumer recycled. The dyes and glue used are vegetable based as well. Thus the company was rebranded and Ecojot was born.
How might one achieve making these products sustainable? Access to Cascades paper mill certainly helped! Cascades has an awards and distinctions list long enough to make your head spin. Their latest ranking is 59th out of the top 100 in Canada’s Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders, along with the being 1st in the forest and paper products industry. With strong ethics and sustainability being at the forefront of the company, Cascades has achieved in the last fifty years what some companies usually only dream of. Reaching six different countries across two continents, I would have to say that Carolyn and Mark made a great choice when they chose Cascades to revamp their products. It is companies like Cascades that make it easy for businesses to make better choices for the environment without stressing about it too much.
When asked what some achievements for Ecojot have been reached Mark simply replied, “Managing to maintain our strong environmental and ethical values and not compromising our integrity.”
Wow, just imagine if each company could say this!
Even More Good
Ecojot is not your average paper product company. They take their impact very seriously, making sure that their footprint in the resource sector is small but their footprint in doing good for worthy causes is large. They use their platform to show as many causes as possible which is just incredible. It is one thing for someone or a company to say that they are or that they plan on doing good, it’s refreshing to see one that is actually doing it. I have learned a lot since I started looking into the company, not only about Ecojot but their practices and causes.
There is one of those causes I would like to highlight.
Both Carolyn and Mark grew up in South Africa, where wildlife and conservation are often talked about as the rise of poaching is thrown into the spotlight. Right now there is a special edition jumbo journal and planner that benefits The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program that has been around since 1977. Conservation, fostering, anti-poaching, and community outreach are main goals, as they have taken in over 150 infant elephants. Right now, with your purchase from this collection, 50% of the net proceeds go to this awesome organization.
(Image used with permission.)
With ten years of experience under their belt with Ecojot, I asked Mark what the most important lesson that they have learned along the way is. He responded, “Business is HARD and requires a huge commitment. Sadly most large brands are just marketing companies whilst the actual products are often made in sweatshops with scant regard for labor laws. People need to question the source more, but sadly we are mostly often too busy for this.”
Ecojot is proof that if just a few people sit down and really think about the impact they are having as a company, a lot of positive things can come out of it. By making the products in a sustainable way, the consumer gets the use and joy of the journal without having to make a huge effort on their part. Mark stated, “The planet’s resources are finite so if everyone made their best efforts to consume less or find products with a great story, we’d all be better off. We have millions of choices- try and choose wisely which sometimes may mean paying a little more.” Well spoken, Mark, well spoken!
Where and How
Look out for Ecojot in Barnes and Noble (where in 2008, they received an order to do a design regarding the political campaign at the time), Paper Source, and Paperchase UK. Also be on the lookout for them in smaller stores near you in Canada and the US, as they are beginning a relationship with a new distributor!
“We are a social species and it’s been scientifically proven that the tactile nature of ink on paper is far more conducive to memory retention than technology, so hopefully people can keep writing, learning and showing compassion and humility,” Mark wrote, making an inspiring final statement.
Below is the link to Ecojot's main website:
Follow Carolyn on Instagram to see all of her lovely artwork at:
Finally, if you would like to know more about The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust please click on the link below: