At The Green Stationery Company

we select products that are environmentally benign or have environmental and ethical advantages over the standard stationery equivalents. We aim to maintain sustainable business practices within a culture that respects all life and honours its interdependence and ease our customers' path to a modern, low-impact office. We have a unique range of products; we are not a standard office stationer that just highlights some recycled paper products and proclaims themselves "Green". Many new green products are showcased by manufacturers in our green catalogue before they become available to the normal office supply companies. We also manufacture ourselves in the UK and import unusual or innovative green products from like-minded companies in the EU. We stock an extensive range of papers made from unusual fibres, including recycled brown kraft, coloured, textured, and watermarked papers. We supply long-life products built to last, and beautiful sustainable wood office accessories. We also have unique biodegradable packaging, and everything for the eco office: from recycled string to glue sticks made from almonds and potato starch. Our customers include big organisations wanting to run green conferences, standard businesses trying to create a sustainable supply chain, pioneering green businesses, eco-conscious home users, natural wedding planners and green pubs, restaurants, cafes and hotels. We have over two thousand regular customers throughout the UK and some overseas, who all want to use their purchasing power to make a difference.

Who We Are and How We Work

The Green Stationery Company is a family-run pioneering environmental business. We began life in 1989 as a locally-based supplier of recycled paper called Bath Green Papers, and evolved in 1993 to offer a national service: the Green Stationery Company was born. We operate on the Schumacher Principle that 'small is beautiful,' keeping the company's physical size as small as possible so we can achieve the lowest ecological footprint. We have invested heavily in the latest electronic trading technology so we can provide the most efficient service to our ever-increasing number of customers, yet keep our business size relatively small.

Gill                                                                                 Jay                                           Amber               Mishka and Lola

We use recycled and reclaimed packaging materials to protect our customers' orders, and many of these are sourced from local businesses. The only energy used in the office is renewably-sourced electricity (currently Ecotricity) and we produce minimal waste (only one black bin bag every two weeks), with all other materials being re-used. The diesel used by our couriers can be offset by our customers through Rainforest Concern's 'Forest Credits' scheme - community-owned watershed projects based in Intag in Ecuador, which provides both clean water to the indigenous peoples there, and reforests the Amazon rainforest. We also have an electric assisted peddle bike for small local deliveries. We have regular external audits of our emissions, the latest one is here: 2022 emissions report.

We offer a competitive and friendly service where customers can always talk to a member of staff to clarify any issues. Our staff are knowledgeable and willing to give you advice on individual products and their wider environmental impacts.We are happy to look at customers' individual requirements and generally the company has a 'can do' attitude towards its service. We do the work of finding and supplying the best green office products available in the UK today: so when you order from us, you are ensuring the greenest possible supply chain. We offer the best prices and discounts on eco-friendly stationery, and do not charge a premium for green items. We are also a mine of information on the green office and we can untangle most of the competing environmental claims made by manufacturers. Green purchasing is an essential element in reducing the huge amount of waste generated by the disposable culture endemic in most offices. We are a certified supplier to Trading Standards buy with confidence scheme, Rainforest Concern, The Ethical Company organisation, Ethical Consumer Best Buy, Considerate Hoteliers, The Natural Wedding Co and The Good Business Charter. https://www.greenstat.co.uk/accreditation-products-for-life

Avoid greenwash

An office supplies magazine's Green Dealer of the year said when receiving the award; "I have always been a strong advocate on getting a return on investment and I can't see any point in being green for green's sake."

This is how standard office supplies companies see green issues: not as worthwhile and important activities in themselves, but as a marketing opportunity that can grow profits. This comment was even reported by the trade magazine without any sense of disbelief. You could not make this up, most people in our industry seem to be on a different planet to us!

As environmental issues have become more mainstream, many companies are engaging in some form of environmental activity and claiming to be 'green sustainable businesses'. We believe to be a real green business, all the activities of a company should respect the environment and operate ethically. A Corporate Social Responsibility survey named British American Tobacco, Shell, Nestle and Xstrata Mining in the top ten performing companies. Jonathon Porritt called the inclusion of B.A.T. a sick joke. He pointed out that companies could spend a lot on environmental and social activities, while the business itself does not demonstrate any social or environmental responsibility at all.

Normal office supplies purchasing is almost exclusively concerned with price and reducing overheads to maximize profits. Going green at work is not primarily a cost/price exercise as most green products are more expensive than the standard items. The standard items are in fact too cheap because they pass some of their costs onto the environment and society in general. We do not undertake price list comparisons as our products and how we operate, are completely different from standard stationery suppliers. Many businesses are used to using value products or white box products, sold by un-ethical suppliers at low prices to obtain business. These generic products will have no provenance in terms of their environmental and ethical impacts. We provide competitive prices but we do not supply the cheapest office supplies available. Read our article on the future of sustainable office suppliers here:

Real Sustainable Businesses Suppliers

We are a UK company based in Bath. Our VAT registration number is 601 2861 78.  For deliveries outside the UK, including the Channel Islands, no VAT is charged, as sales are classed as exports and the customer is responsible for paying any import duties.  

Our company registration number is 02834890.