Sustainability at basenotes
Craft That Respects the World It Comes From
At basenotes, creativity and responsibility belong together. We make tools for expression — but never at the cost of the landscapes and resources that inspire it. Sustainability here isn’t a slogan; it’s built into the way our paperbooks are designed, made, and delivered.
Less waste, more meaning
Because paper should be crafted, not consumed.
MADE WITH CARE, NOT EXCESS
Sustainability at basenotes is built into how we make. Each paperbook is crafted by hand, in limited runs, using paper that avoids cutting trees. This slower approach keeps waste low and ensures every notebook has purpose.
Most paper begins with logging. Ours doesn’t.
Paper Without Trees
Most paper begins with logging. Ours doesn’t. Our 127 GSM pages are created from agricultural by-products like sugarcane bagasse fibres that would otherwise go to waste giving life to paper without cutting a single tree.
Sustainable, responsible, enduring.
Certified to Last
This isn’t just another eco option — it’s built with integrity. Every sheet is FSC-certified for responsible sourcing and acid-free to preserve your work for decades. A canvas designed to respect both planet and permanence.
Designed with creators in mind.
A Canvas for Creativity
Smooth yet durable, our pages respond beautifully to pen, pencil, or brush. By transforming leftover fibres into paper, we turn waste into a lasting medium — one that honours both creativity and sustainability.
Because paper deserves more
Most notebooks today are made fast, by machines, in endless identical runs. They’re treated as disposable. We created basenotes to be the opposite — notebooks and paper goods crafted slowly, bound by hand, and designed to be respected.
Made by Hand, Not by Machines
Every paperbook is hand-stitched and bound by artisans. This matters not just for quality but also for impact.
- Small-batch production keeps our carbon footprint far lower than mass manufacturing.
- Low quantity, low waste: we only make what is needed — never warehouses of excess stock.
- Responsible waste management: offcuts and remnants are limited and easier to repurpose or recycle at artisanal scale.
The slower rhythm of handmade production isn’t a compromise; it’s a choice. It means each paperbook is created with care, and no energy is wasted on excess.
Why It Matters
Most notebooks are made to be replaced. Ours are made to be kept. By choosing basenotes, you’re supporting craft over waste, durability over disposability, and responsibility over excess. Small choices add up. Together, they can shift the industry away from mass production and back to meaning.
Packaging with Purpose
What arrives at your door should be as thoughtful as what’s inside.
We use minimal, recyclable packaging for every order — no excess wrapping, no unnecessary layers. Our goal is to protect your paperbook while generating as little waste as possible.
One area we’re actively improving: plastic shrink-wrap. Today, some of our products still use it for protection in transit. By the end of 2025, we will remove it entirely and move to 100% recyclable packaging.
This is an ongoing process, and we’re honest about it. Sustainability isn’t perfection overnight; it’s steady, deliberate progress.
Pages born from what others leave behind
Transformed into tree-free paper for your ideas.
Planting Trees with Ecologi
Reducing our impact is only part of the story. We also want to contribute positively.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Ecologi to plant trees for every order placed. These projects:
- Rebuild forests, restoring habitats for wildlife.
- Offset carbon emissions, balancing the footprint of production and delivery.
- Preserve natural heritage, leaving future generations with more than we take.
Each paperbook you use is part of this cycle: an object crafted with restraint, paired with a tree planted for renewal.