Eco-Options: Business Cards
Posted on 09. Jan, 2009 by Jen in Eco-Office Gals, Paperless
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One area of your business that is easy to overlook when growing green is your business cards. There are so many cheap, or free options these days. I have been quick to slap some images and text on a template and check out without a second thought of what kind of paper or ink is being used or even the shipping method used to have them brought to my door.
As an ecopreneurists, your most ideal option when going paperless in your office is not to have business cards at all. Personally, I have not ordered business cards for Eco-Office Gals and since I am a 99.9% virtual business, I don’t miss them. Yet, that .01% of the time that I find myself in the “real world” and someone asks what I do, I could kick myself for not having some to hand out.
So, what are your options when paperless is not an option? Here are a few companies that have been recommended or I have come across with a little background from their site:
PrintingForLess – (Use code RP1D6SEJM for $25 off your first order, no expiration) This company seems to have taken great care in covering every aspect of sustainability! Beyond being FSC Certified and 100% Wind Powered (from the site)
- Our paper is milled Elemental Chlorine Free. Trees are a renewable resource, but dioxin (used to bleach paper white) is forever!
- Our inks are vegetable-based, primarily soy, which is both gentle on the environment while producing bright, high-quality images.
- We package our products with biodegradable padding materials instead of those that are annoying and harmful to the environment, such as petroleum-based foam “peanuts.”
- We use water-based aqueous coating to protect your printed pieces. It provides a high-gloss surface that deters dirt and fingerprints and is more friendly to our environment than UV coatings.
- We are focused on reducing waste. By using top-grade paper with highly-trained press operators, we have considerably reduced the number of test or “make-ready” sheets needed to run through the presses as we set up your printing project.
Moo.com – Is a fun twist on the business card and they have a 100% Recycled Fiber, Totally recyclable and biodegradable & Totally Chlorine Free (TFC) paper option.
Your business isn’t like anyone elses, so why should your cards be? With MOO, every card can be different, allowing you to show your product range, your portfolio or your full list of services.
US Business Cards – Eco-Office Gals really loves the idea behind these Cereal Box Cards!
Breakfast Cereal Boxes – Precision cut by guillotine paper cutter. Sharp, clean edges. Randomly cut from popular cereal brands such as Wheaties and Cheerios, plus colorful ones like Fruit Loops. Standard size is 2″ x 3.5″. Printing is on the blank side.
So, next time your business card supply runs low, consider some of the above “greener” options. Additionally, check out this post from Reencoded for fun ideas and design your own green business cards!
Grow Green!
Jen
Related posts:
- Eco-Options: Electronic Publications
- Green-Up Your Office For Free or Cheap!
- Green Options: Printing
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10 Responses to “Eco-Options: Business Cards”
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Patrick from realtor business cards
09. Jan, 2009
You should also consider the treatments that are being applied to the printed materials. Many coatings applied to maintain durability are chemical based and destructive on the environment. If you have the option you should consider using Aqueous coatings (AQ) which is water based.
Julia Rosien
09. Jan, 2009
This is a great post! And I think making a change like this in a corporate structure would fairly simple to do. After our discussion on Twitter, I did some digging around. Turns out all of Natura’s packaging – and business cards are printed on recycled products and printed with vegetable dyes.
Thanks for bringing the subject – I wouldn’t have known otherwise!
Julia Rosien
On Twitter – JuliaRosien
Jody Iverson
10. Jan, 2009
I have another option for you! If you’re in Canada, you can have your cards designed by Viddyworks. http://www.viddyworks.ca
I have relationships with printers who use FSC approved papers, soy & vegetable based inks, and waterless printing processes. I also offer eco friendly web hosting services.
Sorry for the spammy sounding comment, but I felt the urge to add my name to the list
Spot from Best Affordable South Beach Boutique Hotels
11. Jan, 2009
These are great suggestions. The other option is to use a BlackBerry to Palm to wirelessly bean over vCards — there’s no card to loose and no paper gets used at all!
Spot´s last blog post..Cool Backpacks For Photographers
Ricardo
13. Jan, 2009
This is a really cool post. We spend so much time trying to make sure our office space is Green, but I know many haven’t give thought to this simple, yet effective green method. My favorite is the cereal box ones because they are using sustainable material that would just clog up our landfills anyway. Thanks for sharing these.
CEREAL
29. Aug, 2009
Great And Nice Site.
Thank You.
Mary Frances Blatchley
01. Sep, 2009
I’ve been using greenerprinting.com lately. Great quality printing. Easy to use.
"sam from Eco Friendly Water Bottles"
12. Jan, 2010
This is a great set of resources. Thanks for sharing. It is truly the little things that can add up when it comes to Green Thinking.
It will be wonderful when there is no need for the ‘paper’ business card – with a simple shake of our phone we can pass our contact info (iPhone has a nice app for that), or something similar. But until then, we do what we can, right?
I do wonder though – is there any way of verifying what these companies are doing?
“sam@Eco Friendly Water Bottles”´s last blog ..Turning Your Home Green: We Are Not Talking About The Paint Either!
Business Cards Printing
04. Feb, 2010
A great way to deliver a green-friendly message is to write a green wisdom sentence on the lower back of your business card. You’ll be surprised how many positive responses you’ll get.
Women and Business
01. Mar, 2010
I think this is an excellent post. Printing for Less is a great company and I was glad to see them up here. Nice work.
Women and Business´s last blog ..Boston: Celebrate 2 Renaissance Leaders Changing the World