Recycling
In February 2020 we committed to giving 1% of our turnover to tree planting and environmental causes through the organisation 1% for the Planet. You can read more about this on our dedicated blog here.
In the summer of 2019 we introduced our Paper Shakies range which does not contain any plastic at all, is 100% paper based and is 100% recyclable. The cards are sold unwrapped by default and a paper clasp label holds the envelope in place. If customers request the cards to be wrapped we are continuing to use recyclable polyurethane bags so but far most of our customers are requesting these to be unwrapped. We have also sourced an outer bag for units of 6 made of waxed paper
Older glitter based Shakies now use biodegradable glitter
In June 2018 we started sourcing biodegradable glitter for our Shakies range of cards.and confetti made from paper which can be recycled. In May 2019 we started using a eucalyptus leaf based glitter which biodegrades completely in 28 days. At the end of its use it should can be home composted, incinerated (it will burn cleanly) or added to landfill. If added to landfill it will still biodegrade but it will take longer depending on how much moisture, organisms and heat there is.
Printing with Glitter
We will not be printing glitter on any new ranges in the future.
Envelopes
Bags
Cards
Peachy Range (Codes beginning L2)
Kids Range (Codes beginning HC3)
Shakies Range (Codes beginning B60, B69, B105, B109, B113)
Ups & Downs Range (Codes beginning K2)
Red Balloon Range (Codes beginning HE)
Mini Packs (Codes beginning MC)
Christmas Mini Packs (With codes beginning R2 and R3)
Peachy Range (codes beginning L2)
Kids range (codes beginning HC3)
Card: UK council guidelines are now saying that foiled cards can be recycled if the foiled coverage is less than 30%. These are therefore fully recyclable.
Shakies cards (Codes beginning B60, B69, B105, B109, B113)
We now have two types of Shakies cards. Our new Paper Shakies do not contain glitter and the image is printed on to tracing paper. These are 100% recyclable.
You should then be left with the cellophane bag containing the glitter.
The bag has been made from the plastic with the Resin Identification code “5” and recycling facilities for this vary from area to area. recyclenow.com provides an excellent guide for plastic film recycling in the UK which you can read here.
Ups & Downs Range (Codes beginning K2)
Card: The raised image on the cards and other small sections in the background are glittered which can clog up paper recycling machines. These can be easily cut or torn off. The remainder is fully recyclable.
Red Balloon Range (Codes beginning HE)
Card: UK council guidelines are now saying that foiled cards can be recycled if the foiled coverage is less than 30%. These are therefore fully recyclable.
Mini Packs (Codes beginning MC)
Card: These cards are fully recyclable.
Christmas Mini Packs (With codes beginning R2 and R3)
Card: These cards are currently printed with glitter which is not recyclable. The glittered section should be cut out but the rest of the cards can be recycled. May 2019 update - the glitter we used in these cards didn't have a biodegradable alternative but we are investigating alternatives for the future.