Eco friendly Stationery Swaps: Your Back to School Guide

We’re making it a little easier to support your local planet this back-to-school season with eco-friendly stationery supplies. When it comes to buying sustainable stationery, a lot of people are deterred by the misconception that it’s expensive and a little too disruptive to their everyday routines. We’re here to set the record straight. Turns out, it’s not too difficult or expensive to do your bit for the environment. All it takes is a few simple swaps and some practice.

What do we mean by simple swaps? Well, by switching this for that, you can make sure your back to school shop treads a little more lightly on the planet. To help you get started, we've put together some easy eco-friendly stationery swaps you can make to start smart while shopping better.

Stick to Eco Glue Sticks

First up in your eco-friendly stationery arsenal? Glue. Stick to doing your bit by ditching traditional toxic glue sticks for a non-toxic, biodegradable alternative. Traditional glue can pack a pretty hard punch on the planet, with soil and water pollution that can lead to the destruction of flora and fauna. 

Swap your traditional glue stick for the Bostick Eco Glue Stick. Made from 94% natural, renewable ingredients and encased in a 100% recycled plastic container, this glue stick is a smooth operator that glides on and dries clear. It’s also solvent-free, quick drying, and completely odourless for all your paper-based gluing needs.

Pencil Cases Made for Tomorrow

Here at Warehouse Stationery, we love a transformation story and there’s none better (or more planet-focused) than our ‘I Was A Bottle' pencil case range. Other than coming in a range of gorgeous eye-catching colours, the range is made from 100% recycled plastic (excluding the zipper and stitching) making it a great option for the environmentally conscious. That means before delighting you with a home for all your stationery needs, it was delighting someone else with other delightful things.

Highlight: Eco Highlighters

Traditional highlighters are often made and packed in plastic. Make an eco-friendly stationery swap to these Desk Tribe Highlighters. They come in orange, green and blue and are fitted out with a sustainable paper barrel with a chisel-shaped tip for accuracy so you can remember it all in class and save the planet at the same time. Nice.

Notable Recycled Paper Notebooks

Paper recycling helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. How? It takes 70% less energy and water to recycle paper than to create brand-new paper products from trees. In fact, recycling just one tonne of paper saves 17 trees and 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space. Swap your regular notebook for the 100% recycled WS Spiral Notebook. That way, next time you’re scribbling down notes, you can rest assured knowing that each word is in service of a sustainable future.

Pencil In Eco Pens and Pencils

Since the 50s, BIC pens have been a legendary stationery staple. Today, they’ve had an eco-friendly stationery infused makeover. One box of 12 black BIC ECOlutions Clic Stic ballpoint pens is made from 62% recycled materials and certified with the NF Environment eco-label.

While they’re soft on the planet, with their fluid ink and meticulously crafted ballpoints, they still work just as hard as you do - seamlessly gliding on paper. And that’s not even the best part. They’re retractable! Which means no more lost caps.

As for the pencils? BIC has that covered too. Bic Evolution Original Pencils are made from 50% recycled materials and also proudly certified by the NF Environment Eco label too. They’re also really popular because the lead is easy to erase (no paper ripping) and shock resistant with a built-in-eraser that turns your work into a masterpiece.

Turns out going green is a lot easier than you think. Especially when you whittle it down to just making a few easy swaps that don’t disrupt your routine or hurt your wallet. Keep your eyes peeled for great sustainable products and check out our blog for more back-to-school inspiration.