Name: Helen Driscoll
Position:
Founder and VP Marketing and Product Development
Invitesite.com
450 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
888-349-4674
Business Name: InviteSite.com (previously, Fine Paper Company)
What does your business do/what industry are you in?
Our products are made from treefree papers and 100%PCW recycled papers, with eco printing (offset and letterpress). We are primarily in the wedding, special events and holiday stationery industries.
What are your “Green” activities (please be specific)?
First, we use papers that are completely treefree (cotton, silk, hemp, sugarcane, mulberry) as well as made with agricultural waste (mango leaves, garlic, sugarcane, tamarind leaves, grasses) and waste from the garment industry (cotton fabric trim, cotton linters) — as well as 100% post consumer waste recycled paper.
Paper has only been made from trees for 125 years. Papermaking is a 2000 yr old technology.
We make DIY wedding stationery kits — couples use their own energy to customize and put them together. Every step in our process is intentional.
Next, we use handfed, antique presses to diecut and print. Very, very little waste. These presses use very little ink. (Less than half a teaspoon for the average job.) We use linseed (flax oil) based inks. Better than soy inks.
All of our trim (which is very colorful, textural) is given to after school programs for LA kids (LA’s Best) in low economic areas. Other trim goes to the kids programs at Debs Park (run by the Audobon Society).
I buy food for staff at the Farmer’s Markets. We have all been shopping primarily at Farmer’s Markets for 18 years.
All our machinery is very low energy — by their design. Our machinery dates from 1884 – 1965.
All of our fixtures, office furniture is reclaimed, used, or antique.
Our eco policies here:
http://www.invitesite.com/about/ecoPolicies.php
How long have you been doing these activities?
For 15 years, since 1995.
Why did you implement them?
Handmade and fine papers are simply superior in look and performance. Most of our papers (other than the PCW papers) are archival from 500- 1500 years.
Previous to founding Fine Paper Company, I sold rare and antiquarian books. Which were printed on handmade and fine papers. Have you seen a copy of the Gutenberg Bible? Still spectacular.
I was building a rare book library for film producer Kathy Kennedy while I was starting up Fine Paper Company, in 1996. She is an avid environmentalist — part of the library was devoted to early books on the environmental movement. I had wanted to specialize in fine handmade (treefree) papers because they were superior. Researching the library led me to reframe the way I thought about paper and printing.
How hard were these actions to implement?
Very difficult. We had to figure it all out as we went along. We had very little funding, so that made us very frugal and careful.
What was the result –Financial/Bottom Line, Environmental, Good Will, etc.?
I am not sure there is any, actually. Possibly good will. We spent a great deal of time educating customers and potential customers, which made each sale more expensive. (this was when we first started – very few people understood what we were doing.) Now that green is trendy, we have much more competition, including companies who are greenwashing.
Do you have any advice for other small to mid-sized businesses who want to “Go Green”?
The first and most important thing they can do is think about efficiencies and waste. Most of greening a business is waste management and thinking through the cradle to cradle (Wm McDonough) impact of their product and services. How can they make their product easier to recycle?
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