Eco-craft Ltd is a family business, originally called The Cutting Edge, it was founded by Lorraine and Kevin McCarthy, 31 years ago in Summer 1991.

We decided at an very early stage to use recycled paper and card in our products and after having 8 years experience designing and manufacturing our own greetings cards and gifts, we found that more and more craftspeople were asking us to produce blanks for them. We decided therefore, that we should provide an off the shelf range of recycled card blanks available by Mailorder.

We currently have the fourth generation in the family associated with the paper industry, previous members having been involved with the manufacturing process. In fact the mill where our Great Grandad worked was the first in the UK to produce kraft paper.(Cooke and Nuttall Horwich)

Due to our personal concern for the environment, we have made it our company policy to, wherever possible, offer products that aim to keep their ecological and ethical impact on the planet in mind, from production to disposal. So we source our raw materials and finished products from reputable green suppliers with a similar ecological and ethical stand point and take great care to research the credentials of the materials that we supply and use. Most of the paper and card we supply is 100% recycled and the majority contain a large proportion of post consumer waste (ie. old brochures, print outs, etc.). The proof of this can be seen in the occasional tiny fleck or speckle which can sometimes be found in the card we stock.

Choosing recycled products is a positive step towards helping to conserve the Earth's natural resources and reduce the amount of waste which would otherwise go to landfill.

Recycling paper can also reduce the energy required in production by up to 50%, with similar effects on pollution and carbon dioxide emissions. Recycling also reduces water usage by up to 50% and involves fewer chemical processes. The recycling paper industry is led by consumer demand so the more we use, the more the mills will produce.

We reuse packaging from our suppliers, we buy once used cartons and all our office paper is recycled. Please remember most of the packaging materials used by us in your orders is recyclable, so please try to reuse, recycle or compost it if you can.

We try to use green technology wherever possible whilst keeping traditional and ethical values. Also, as a family, we included solar panels (PV and hot water), rainwater harvesting and heat recovery systems plus super insulation in our family home. We of course recycle as much as we can, for us this is not just a business but a way of life.