My Favourite UK Eco-Friendly Stationery Brands

Are you looking for sustainable and eco-friendly stationery and office supplies? Here’s my guide to all the earth-friendly essentials you need, including notebooks, folders, pens, printer paper, and more.

If you are looking to green your office supplies – whether it’s your home office or otherwise – then the good news is that it’s never been easier. There are a whole host of companies out there making sustainable products that will help you do your best work, whilst doing best by the planet.

I’ve been trying many of these products in my own home office to help narrow down the products worth investing in or swapping to. Here’s what I recommend.

The Eco-Friendly Stationery & Office Supplies To Know

Here are my top picks for green stationery. I’ve prioritised reusable products, products made from recycled materials, and products that are fully recyclable and/or compostable at the end of their life to help green your working day.

Sustainable Notepads

I cannot work without a notepad. I always have one to hand to scribble down any ideas, to-do lists, and calculations.

My mum always used to clip together the backs of birthday cards, the backs of cereal packets, the bit of cardboard that comes inside packs of tights, and anything similar to create a super sustainable recycled notepad. I still do this, and I smile and think of my mum every time I make one.

Whilst I love my scrappy little recycled notebooks, I appreciate that sometimes you want to look a bit more professional. When that happens I’m a big fan of Vent For Change’s range of notebooks (from £5.99 at Ethical Superstore).

These sustainable notepads are made in the UK from 100% recycled paper and card. Plus every purchase gives back. Proceeds from every Vent product sold go towards global education projects getting children back into school.

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Eco-Friendly Folders & Ring Binders

A paperless office may be the office of the future, but for many of us (including me), we’re not quite there yet. There are still documents and bits of paper that need to be filled away for future reference.

For eco-friendly folders ring binders, and other types of paper storage, then I’m a long-standing fan of kraft paper binders. Many of mine came from Paperchase, which I’m still devasted about the closure of! However, I’ve recently discovered that Muji offers similar binders made from recycled paper, costing from £5.95. These are plastic-free and can easily be recycled at the end of their life.

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Recycled Printer Paper

Talking of paper, if you need to print out documents then consider shifting away from standard printer paper to recycled printer paper. It’s an easy swap to make that has a huge impact.

Xerox’s 80 gsm recycled printer paper (from Amazon – I haven’t been able to find an ethical supplier of recycled printer paper) is made from 100% recycled paper.

Unlike some recycled paper, this has been processed without bleaching and is free from chemically derived optical brightening agents. And for that extra sustainable touch, the reams of paper have been wrapped and packed in recycled material.

We’ve been using this one at home, and I like it – it’s paper and it does the job. The only thing I would say is that this paper is not bright white. It does have more of a beige tone to it. However, unless you are a graphic designer or artist looking to proof design work, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

I’m working on finding eco-friendly printer ink, so I’ll be sure to update this article when I find some that I recommend. In the meantime, here’s how to recycle printer cartridges for charity.

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Eco-Friendly Pens

When it comes to eco-friendly stationery, it’s challenging to find a truly sustainable pen, because like in many areas of life, none on the market are perfectly sustainable.

Having tried using fountain pens, let’s just say I can see why the world moved on to ballpoint pens. There’s definitely a learning curve associated with fountain pens. And I have to say I never mastered it!

My advice is, that if you want to try a refillable fountain pen, the best option is to try a secondhand one from somewhere like eBay, to see if it could be an option for you.

If you don’t want inky fingers, I quite like these VENT for Change pens (£3.95 for two from Ethical Superstore). These are made from recycled plastic and can be recycled, plus support global education charities.

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Plastic-Free Tape

Once your regular plastic-based tape runs out, may I recommend upgrading to plastic-free paper tape? It’s just as effective as regular plastic tape, just without the plastic. I use it for everything. Wrapping parcels. Sealing envelopes. Even moving house (although, to clarify, I use the wider tape, not the thin floral tape for this purpose!).

My collection includes some flowery paper tape. However, if floral isn’t your style or you need something more utilitarian, eco-friendly retailer &Keep offers plain plastic-free tape in a variety of widths, from just £1.95. Etsy also has a good selection from 99p.

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Eco-Friendly Highlighter Pens

Highlighter pens have also had an eco-friendly makeover, so you can now add them to your sustainable stationery collection.

Instead of plastic pens of old, these jumbo sustainable highlighter pencils (£5.99 for 4 from Etsy) are made from wood. This means the shavings and stubs can be fully composted. What’s more, they won’t bleed through thin pages, leak, or dry out, making them much more durable.

Each box contains a pink, orange, yellow, and green highlighter pencil, packaged in a plastic-free box.

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Have I missed anything crucial to your office needs? Let me know and I’ll see what I can find! And whilst we’re on the top of stationery, here’s all you need to know about recycling window envelopes.