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Even if you don’t like writing, you can’t help but like notebooks. They give a tactile sense that’s missing from the iPhone notes app. Quickly jot down ideas, recap the day or cross of an item off your bucket list.
And with these eco friendly notebooks, you can help make a difference. From stone paper to elephant dung paper, this is our list of eco friendly notebooks for the sustainable traveler.
1. Yupo Synthetic Paper: Field Notes
Field Notes are notebooks inspired by promotional memo books that agricultural companies distributed to American farmers. These notebooks are made in the USA and the paper is also sourced and manufactured in the USA. While all of their notebooks use acid-free paper and are manufactured responsibly, their Expedition notebook is unique. Made of Yupo Synthetic paper, there are no trees involved. This material is tear proof and waterproof giving the notebook the durability you need for traveling.
Get the Field Notes Expedition notebook here.
2. Leaf Leather: Tree Tribe
Tree Tribe is a company that makes products only with eco-friendly materials. They make leaf leather, a plant based leather that doesn’t harm any animals. The material is sustainably harvested and can be made into products like wallets and notebook covers like in their line of Nature Journals, which are refillable so you can continue to use the leaf leather cover over and over.
Get the Tree Tribe Leaf Leather notebook here.
3. The Classic: Decomposition Notebook
A classic notebook that you’ve been using since your school days has been given an eco friendly update. Michael Roger has been a family owned company since 1949 that uses eco friendly materials to make all of their products, including their most popular Decomposition Book, a recycled notebook made of 100% post consumer waste. Their notebooks feature college ruled lining, are printed with soy ink and have creatively designed covers.
Get the Decomposition by Michael Roger notebook here.
4. Stone Paper: Pictostone Notebooks
Pictostone makes tree free notebooks using stone paper. The waste stream of calcium carbonate (stones) is made into a powder, mixed with nontoxic resins and rolled into stone paper. The material also has an added benefit—it’s waterproof. Picostone’s Ruled Professional Notebook features an expandable inner pocket so you can put printed tickets and other travel documents you may need.
Get the Pictostone lined stone paper notebook here.
5. Moleskine Voyageur Traveller’s Notebook
One of the best known notebook brands, Moleskine is known for their quality and aesthetic and while they do use paper (it’s acid-free) and make products that have an environmental impact, they design their products so they can be kept for long and are working towards limiting their impact like keeping packaging to a minimum. A notebook they’ve made just for travelers is the Voyageur Notebook with packing lists and other planning pages included.
Get the Moleskine Voyageur Notebook here.
6. Made By College Students: Unruled Notebooks
Unruled is a notebook company started by Northwestern University students. All products they make are sustainable and made with post-consumer recycled materials. They’ve also partnered with two sustainable environmentally conscious organizations, 1% For The Planet and One Tree Planted to give back.
Get the Unruled notebook here.
7. Waterproof Notebook: Luckies of London
Luckies of London is best known as the creator of the Scratch Map. Besides the Scratch Map, they also make other gifts, home goods, tech products and stationary, including the Waterproof Notebook. It has a faux leather cover and is made with stone paper to make it a water resistant notebook that you can take with you on any trip.
Get the Luckies of London waterproof notebook here.
8. Cotton Paper: Moonster
All products by Moonster are handmade and ethically sourced. And the paper for their notebooks are made from cotton which is recycled from waste from the garment industry in India. Their Classic Journal is made with a genuine water buffalo leather cover and contains the acid and tree free recycled cotton paper. If you prefer to not have leather, you can get a refill notebook which is just the cotton paper.
Get the Moonster recycled cotton notebook here.
9. Hemp Paper: Green Field Paper Company
The Green Field Paper Company is the largest paper mill in San Diego and is committed to using sustainable practices. Their hemp paper is 100% bio-based and does not use any virgin tree fiber and is manufactured carbon neutral using 100% renewable energy. Their range of hemp notebooks includes a college ruled large notebook.
Get the Green Field Paper Company hemp paper notebook here.
10. Recycled From Italy: Ciak Notebooks
Ciak notebooks are made in Italy and are known for their minimalist notebooks with an elastic closure. Their eco friendly line, Ciak Eco includes notebooks made sustainably with reprocessed leather and recycled ivory paper, which is made from post consumer waste and FSC certified fibers.
Get the Ciak Eco cork notebook here.
11. Elephant Poop: Mr Ellie Pooh Notebooks
Mr. Ellie Pooh makes notebooks, list pads, toys, greeting cards and other items all related to elephants. Their notebooks are uniquely related to elephants in that the paper that’s used is 30% fiber from elephant dung and 70% recycled paper, with no trees or toxic chemicals used in the paper making process. Because their paper is made with recycled content, it takes less energy to produce too. Check out their notebook with a beautiful paper mache embossed elephant inspired by the elephants of Sri Lanka.
Get the Mr. Ellie Pooh elephant dung notebook here.
12. Recycled Paper: TRUEGRASSES
TRUEGRASSES is a company based out of Taiwan, with a philosophy based on nature and culture. Their notebooks feature eco friendly FSC certified recycled paper and made with natural rice straw fiber.
Get the TRUEGRASSES A5 notebook here.
Bonus: Eco Friendly Office Products
If you’re looking for sustainable pens or other office supplies to travel with along with your eco friendly notebook, Onyx and Green makes eco friendly office products made with recycled materials, including plant based glue, bamboo gel pens with soy based ink and recycled rubber erasers.
Which is your favorite eco friendly notebook? Leave a comment below.
[…] P.S. Also check out some eco friendly notebooks for the sustainable traveler. […]