I have just recently started journaling every day. Throughout the years I dabbled but never committed to the whole journaling process. However, ever since reading the book, The Miracle Morning, I have become a daily journaler (that’s a word, right)?

Side note: If you are suffering from lack of motivation and focus, I highly recommend The Miracle Morning, it’s a quick read (I read it in one day) and just might change your life.

After almost filling up the dollar store journal I have had for years but never used very often, I am on the hunt for more environmentally friendly notebooks. 

Since I am journaling so often, I wanted something of quality, and made with recycled paper (or completely tree-less as I just found out that was a thing) so I wasn’t contributing to deforestation.

So, I took to the internet in search of the ideal environmentally friendly notebooks.

First, some useful information to help guide my decision.

What is ecofriendly paper?

There are two types of ecofriendly paper. One is more environmentally friendly then the other. Let’s start with the most ecofriendly paper.

1. Recycled Paper: Recycled paper is used paper that is reconstituted into paper again. The best paper to be using is 100% post-consumer recycled paper that is made from paper scrap that can no longer be used for its intended purpose by the consumer, which is reprocessed into paper again
2. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper: There are three types of FSC certified paper
   1. FSC Recycled labels: identify products which are made with 100% recycled fiber. 
   2. FSC MIX labels: identify products which are made with a combination of FSC virgin fibre, and/or recycled materials with controlled virgin fibre. 
   3. FSC 100% labels: identify products which are made of 100% virgin material from FSC-certified forests.

Let’s look at a few different types of notebooks and see if they measure up to these ecofriendly standards.

How environmentally friendly are Moleskine Notebooks?

Moleskine is a popular brand name of journals and planners, among other accessories. However, they are NOT ecofriendly.  Despite being FSC certified, the website is not clear on how much, if any, of the paper used is from post-consumer (recycled) paper. 

While it is a good thing that Moleskine is FSC certified, personally, I want a notebook that is 100% recycled paper.

Are Moleskin notebooks recyclable?

The pages of Moleskin notebooks are recyclabe the covers are not, as they are made from synthetic materials. 

From the Moleskin FAQ page:

Most of the covers in our collections are made from synthetic material. Our hard covers are made of polypropylene, while the soft covers are made of polyurethane. Other collections feature cardboard covers, and some special editions include different materials such as fabrics.

Is stone paper ecofriendly?

Because I don’t know a lot about stone paper, in fact I had not heard of it before researching this article, I will be referring to the Stone Paper Product website to answer this question.

Stone paper is not paper, but consists of up to 80% limestone and 20% additive. Stone paper is made out of powdered limestone (calcium carbonate). This type of paper is more tear-resistant than conventional paper.

Stone paper begins to dissolve under constant sunlight after a few months. After about a year it will be dissolved in dust completely – similar to eggshells. Stone paper can also be burnt without creating toxic gases.

Stone Paper contains only 20% of the plastic HD-PE (high density polyethylene). It consists of carbon and hydrogen atoms and burns completely to CO2 and water.

Stone paper is Cradle to Cradle certified. The Cradle to Cradle principle does not exhibit waste. In other words, products are made out of materials that are already available. Stone paper is produced from limestone powder, which is a secondary product of quarries and is recycled here. The second basis for the eco-paper is HD-polyethylene (high density polyethylene). This can be obtained from organic waste such as sugar beet.

My final conclusion is that yes, stone paper is ecofriendly. It takes less water to produce than recycled paper, it is Cradle to Cradle certified, and is biodegradable in time. 

It’s worth looking into if stone paper is intriguing to you.

Ecofriendly spiral notebooks

Here are a couple ecofriendly spiral notebooks to choose from:

EcoJot

• • Ecojot paper is 100% post-consumer recycled – made entirely from old waste paper
  • All inks and glues are vegetable based
  • All black and kraft boards are sourced from sustainable suppliers in North America
  • Ecojot was awarded the Ancient Forest Friendly and Order of the Forest Awards by Canopy in 2012
  • Over the years, Ecojot has donated thousands of books to kids in need all over the world with the Buy 1 / Give 1 campaign.

Eco Paper

• • Made from a blend of post-consumer waste and agricultural waste
  • Tree-free paper
  • 100% acid free
  • 100% reyclable
  • 100% biodegradable

Check out their website for incredibly detailed processes involved in making Eco Paper. This company gets an A+ for transparency.

Ecofriendly school notebooks

Decomposition books

• 100% post-consumer-waste recycled paper
• Printed with soy ink.

Tops Second Nature Notebook

• 100% recycled
• 40% post-consumer waste
• Sturdy no-snag-coil won’t catch on backpacks, paper or clothing
• Perforated sheets detach easily to keep your notebook organized

Ecofriendly bullet journal

Lemome Dotted Bullet Journal 

• Cover made from cork
• Pages made from virgin wood

It’s sad that this is the most ecofriendly bullet journal I could find. I don’t in good conscious recommend it if you’re looking for a truly environmentally friendly bullet journal, but it’s as good as I could find.

Using a sustainable material like cork is a good start towards being ecofriendly but it’s not enough in my eyes.

Please let me know if you use an ecofriendly bullet journal that uses recycled paper. I would love to have some more useful information to update this section with. Thanks!

So, there you have it. The unofficial roundup of environmentally friendly notebooks (and some that aren’t). 

What did I end up getting, you ask? Well, as of the time of writing this, I haven’t purchaed one yet. However, I am leaning towards Eco Paper. The fact that it is tree-free and made from different organic materials is very intriguing and I feel I must try it out. 

I will update this post and let you know how it is once I order it and give it a whirl.

What do you use for your journaling or note taking needs? Let me know in the comments below.

Cheers, and have an awesome day!