Moleskine

 

I'm researching the environmental credentials of the products I use most regularly and I thought I would start with my Moleskine notebooks, of which I have 3 or 4 on the go at any one time, using them each for different purposes.

 

So what could I find out about my Moleskine from their labeling and website in one hour?

 

Firstly Moleskine are designed in Italy (where the company is registered) but made in China. Not particularly surprising given that just about everything is made in China these days. However, Moleskine go to great lengths to justify why their manufacturing is in China, describing the Far East as the place where paper and printing were invented, so Moleskine and China go hand-in-hand.

 

That sounds a bit like post-rationalisation to me but plenty of brands get their goods produced in China and I can't find any reference to ill treatment of Chinese workers who are manufacturing Moleskine notebooks.

 

What I have also learned is that Molskine paper is acid free, this means that the paper has to undergo a process to remove the natural acids in the wood and/or pulp. Moleskine's own website links the 'acid free' reference to Wikipedia, which seems to take a more cynical view of the reasons that lie behind acid free paper but it does point out that acid free paper is more environmentally friendly.

 

From Wikipedia: 'Today, much of the commercially produced paper is acid-free, but this is largely the result of a shift from china clay to (cheaper) chalk as the main filler material in the pulp: chalk reacts with acids, and therefore requires the pulp to be chemically neutral or alkaline'

 

'Because there are fewer corrosive chemicals used in making alkaline paper, the process is much easier on the machinery, reducing downtime and maintenance, and extending the machinery's useful life. The process is also significantly more environmentally friendly. Waste water and byproducts of the papermaking process can be recycled; energy can be saved in the drying and refining process; and alkaline paper can be more easily recycled.^'

 

The Moleskine website tells me that its paper is all FSC certified. FSC or Forest Stewardship Council is an international body that has created standards for good forestry management. Of course this does suggest that Moleskine only use virgin wood and not recycled paper for their notebooks. Would I be happier if they used recycled paper? Probably I would.

 

They also mention that other components that go into Moleskine notebooks are sourced from around the world, they name the countries but don't say what comes from where.

 

So what more could Moleskine tell me? I did send an email to them directly about a week ago but haven't yet received a response, which as a consumer with plenty of notebook choices is a tad disappointing.

 

There's a reasonable amount on their website about CSR, environment and sustainability but it does feel like they have cherry picked certain elements to placate people like me rather than describe a philosophy or policy that runs through everything they do.

 

Having done some internet searches on Moleskine to find out what others feel about the brand all I can find is some anti-Chinese-production sentiment and backlash against a design competition they ran in 2011.

 

I don't know how Moleskine compares to some of its rivals but I will find out.

 

However, so far I'm not surprised by anything - it claims to do good by the environment and certainly its paper process and wood sourcing supoorts that. Quite where the other components are from remains to be seen and it would be good to know.

 

Before buying my next Moleskine I will look around at the alternatives.