FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about what makes our stationery products sustainable?

How are your stationery products sustainable? 

Made from recycled coffee cups by the UK’s leading paper mill and repurposed waste from the fruit, nut, coffee, clothing and brewing industries, all our stationery is 100% biodegradable and plastic-free. You can be sure that every time you put pen to paper on our Coffeenotes stationery you are making a conscious choice to put the planet first.

What is your writing paper made from?

Our paper is made from upcycled coffee cups which makes high-quality writing paper. All our papers are FSC or PEFC certified.

What are your covers made from?

Our covers are made from repurposed waste from the coffee, brewing, nut, fruit and clothing industries, as well as recycled paper. We don’t use glue in the assembly of our notebooks covers. We have to use a tiny amount of glue on our List Pads and Organiser Pads to keep the pages together but this amount can be recycled.

How many recycled coffee cups are there in each Coffeenotes notebook?

It obviously depends on the size of the notebook but on average we have between 3-7 recycled coffee cups, per product, that are {re}purposed through the cup cycling process into high quality paper and we use this to make our premium notebooks. All part of our {re}purposing mission turning waste into something useful and beautiful.

Are your stationery products biodegradable? 

Yes, the paper and covers are 100% biodegradable.

How can I recycle my stationery in my household rubbish?

Our notebooks, notepads and planners are 100% recyclable but don’t forget to remove the wires from your Wirobound Notebooks and Weekly Planners before you add them to your household recycling paper bin. The wires are not covered in plastic or nylon so these can go into your metal recycling at the your local recycling centre, or in your curbside recycle bin if your council collects metal. 

How can I separate the wires from the paper of my Wirobound Notebook/Planner?

Check out our blog post How to Recycle Stationery at Home where we explain how to separate the wires from the covers and text pages.

Are your products carbon neutral?

Yes! Our family-run factory is a certified Carbon Balanced Printer and we carbon balance the paper production too making us carbon neutral. We do this through schemes run by the international conservation charity The World Land Trust that requires that we measure our carbon footprint, take steps to reduce it, and make an annual donation which goes directly to supporting forest conservation projects. Since the programme began in 2005, more than 610,000 tonnes of carbon have been offset through these projects.

Is your paper suitable for fountain pens?

Yes, the paper works beautifully with all types of pens and pencils but particularly the traditional fountain pen which can be refilled with ink time after time, making your use of stationery completely sustainable. We love a fountain pen!

Is your paper suitable for artists?

We have had very positive feedback from our artist friends who have found them ideal for everything from sketching to pastels and charcoal. Do let us know what you think. Look out for our heavyweight Artists’ Notebook coming next Spring. Sign up our email or follow us on Instagram and Facebook to be the first to hear of our new launches.

Why do you use FSC virgin fibre in your products?

Every time paper is recycled the fibres become shorter and shorter making the paper increasingly weaker.  To create our sustainable stationery, we add in the minimum amount FSC virgin fibre to give strength and quality to the paper.

Do you use glue and inks in any of your products?

We try to minimise our use of glue and ink wherever we can, and are pleased to have designed our notebooks and planners to be completely glue-free (our notepads still require small amounts of glue). Learn more about our approach to Materials.

How do you choose the partners you work with?

We only work with partners, suppliers and stockists who share our vision of a sustainable future, with particularly focus on energy and water usage. We believe that the only way to make eco-friendly practices commonplace in business is to work together. Read more on our Partners page. 

Do you have a subscription service? 

We understand how frustrating it can be when you run out of your favourite notebooks, pads or planners. We don’t currently run a subscription service but we are looking to introduce one next year. Sign up to our emails or social channels for updates. 

Are your products stocked in retail stores?

As a new brand, stockists are joining our community of sustainable stationery lovers all the time.

If you are interested in becoming a stockist, please do get in touch at hello@coffeenotes.shop 

Why do we use {re} on our front covers?

 

We create thoughtful stationery that brings purpose to people’s lives by
{re}purposing waste from coffee cups, textiles, food, and drink manufacturing.


We have embellished our covers with a selection of emotional phrases: {re}flect, {re}mind, {re}view to help inspire our customers to connect with our repurposing mission and to give a personal {re}connection to the simple act of writing things down rather than tapping on a screen.

Whether that be, {re}minding yourself to write the weekly shopping list or {re}flecting on a recent holiday journal or {re}viewing what you need to do this week, our products are a pleasure to use helping bring joy and purpose to your life.

We have lots of new products that we are creating that are inspired by our other favourite phrases {re}think, {re}lax, {re}kindle, {re}invent, {re}create, {re}plenish.

The curly brackets we use { } signify a hug when texting, which is all rather fitting with our creation of simple sustainable stationery that has the power to make you feel good about your life, and the planet.