Innovative Designs For Eco-Friendly Business Cards

Running a design business and writing for news organisations, I've always printed my own promotional cards using recycled papers. But printing in bulk is costly, especially with ink expenses and time. How do I recycle unwanted business cards? What's the best way of staying remembered without using truckloads of new white paper?

So I looked into various ways of promoting an eco-business the most eco-friendly way. My low cost environmentally friendly business cards arrived last week. Yayy! There are some really innovative ways out there of incorporating good design and getting the right message across. Sometimes, it's just about putting your own touch on your work. Here's what I think really works.

Awesome Ideas For Promoting Your Business

• Print your business details onto fabric, punch a hole in the end and tie with a ribbon. An interesting business promotion and cute keepsake.

MyDesignbook Volume One:  MSLK

• Take a bunch of lollipop sticks and hand write your information or stamp with a pre-set design. Engraving options are available from some companies and the sticks can be re-used for their intended purpose: ice lollies!

Ecological Business Card: Andrea Romani

• Talking of stamps, order a ready-inked one with your details and use this to print your information on unwanted materials and unusual stuff. This is exactly what Andrea Romani did, stamping her ecological awareness onto milk tops, postage stamps, used envelopes, old card... Loads of Etsy sellers provide custom stamps so that's a good place to start for a promoting your business in a unique style.

Print and stick business stickers anywhere

• Wrap pre-printed stickers around any artsy object like MSLK did as part of the environmental commitment to "repurposing makereadies" — the waste from offset printing is turned into new business cards. And no two "cards" are alike!

Create Your Own Eco-Friendly Business Cards
So now that we've got some ideas for awesome business promotion, you may just want to go the traditional way and get a company to environmentally print yours. Try these:

• 123Print - a UK printing service with wide collection of pre-set designs.
• Vistaprint - another UK org that uses recycled paper, customers have the option of uploading their own design.
• Moo - although not a a top eco-service, Moo provide the option of recycled card stock under their business card selection. Their mini cards are a personal favourite.
• Ecoprint UK - an advocator of rhino poo eco-policy (!), Ecoprint aim to create a 100% enviro-friendly process from using greener electricity to cleaner inks.

What To Do With Old Business Cards

• Cut the cards to any shape you want, get a permanent/CD marker and write the name of plants you need to mark pots and space in the garden.
• Shred them finely, adding to compost heap or as drainage for larger plant pots.
• Use them as luggage tags by writing on the blank side.
• Use them as labels, again, blank side, taped or glued to the item that needs labelling.
• Scrapbook with them as they could be handy for backing your photos or writing captions.
• Turn them into flash-cards for your children. My sisters use my old cards for memorising key stages in science studies and jotting Arabic phrases.
• Once they've been written on for important studies, hole punch them and chain onto a keyring or paper fastener to keep handy.
• Keep a stack for your children's playdates, when you're making `Eid goody bags and for schools as they make excellent scribble pads. Kids are very creative and can turn all sorts of rubbish into artwork.

Any more ideas? What else can I do with unused business cards?

All my online work can be found on + About Zaufishan.

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