Our Journey to Sustainability, And Beyond…
Learn how Rocketbook is helping the planet.
How We Got Here
ACCIDENT
In 2014, we were famously founded by two guys that were raised by wolves, and who set out to save the planet. In fact, most people don’t know that we invented the tree. That’s right, those big things you see outside with leaves and branches and roots, that was us.
Okay, so not all of that is true. Actually, none of it is. To be completely honest with you, our first mission was strictly to build a notebook for the future, not to help the environment.
ACCEPTANCE
Regardless of our intentions, after releasing our endlessly reusable notebooks to the world, people naturally associated us with environmental sustainability.
All of a sudden we found ourselves taking the first steps of our journey toward sustainability that we continue to walk today. So while our main objective is still to create notebooks that are otherworldly, we’re now also dedicated to saving this world too.
How are Notebooks Good for the Environment?
THEY’RE NOT.
Traditional one-use notebooks waste paper and kill trees. Let’s do some math: 1 tree produces 100 notebooks. That means every time someone uses a one-use notebook they’re killing a little piece of a tree. How horrible, that tree has a family!
WE ARE.
Our Rocketbook notebooks aren’t just reusable, but they’re also made up of partially recycled materials. That means every time you erase your Rocketbook notebook, it’s like you’re kissing a tree and giving it life. That’s just a metaphor, don’t go around kissing trees. The point is, we’re empowering you with the ability to save trees and help create a sustainable future.
How We’re Helping
We here at Rocketbook make great efforts to minimize our impact on the environment. Most importantly, our infinitely reusable design is key to keeping paper waste out of landfills and oceans.
RECYCLE
In the event that you decide to dispose of your Rocketbook notebook (due to a sudden lapse in judgment on your part), we’ve got you covered. Every piece of a Rocketbook notebook is recyclable down to the cover, pages, and spiral binding.
REHABILITATE
We also seek out opportunities to partner up with environmentally conscious organizations like One Tree Planted, a 501C3 non-profit. In the past, to celebrate Earth Day, we designed a custom Earth-themed notebook and for every one sold, a tree was planted.
More recently, this summer we met up with the Esplanade Volunteer Foundation to help clean up the Charles River. Our whole Rocket Squad got down and dirty with some shears to remove an invasive plant species plaguing the area (no, not Patriot fans). If you’re in the Boston area and want to volunteer, you can sign up here.
To Infinity and Beyond…
Nobody’s perfect, though, and we’re the first to admit it. Here’s some of our flaws and what we’re doing to improve them.
PACKAGING
Our notebooks are shipped in Mylar poly mailer bags that aren’t recyclable. The reason for this is that the bags are lighter than cardboard boxes which helps reduce the load on our delivery trucks and thus our carbon emissions. In the future, we hope to incorporate alternative materials, such as ocean plastic or hemp-based materials into our packaging so that it can be recycled.
Two great brands we look to for packaging inspiration is Patagonia, who conducted an all-out audit of their plastic usage, and Lumi, who are dedicated to finding sustainable packaging solutions.
PENS
A notebook is worthless without a pen, and a pen is worthless without any ink. Often times when our users run out of ink in their Pilot FriXion pens, they’ll purchase a brand new one. This creates waste and is costly for customers. We hope to one day create a pen refill subscription service for our users similar to what Quip does with their toothbrushes. This service would create a lot of green, both in terms of the planet and our user’s wallets. Not bad, huh?
PRACTICALITY
To recycle our notebooks, you have to take them apart. The reason for this is that each piece of our notebooks is made of a different material specially selected to best serve their respective functions. This means each piece must be recycled separately, and many users are understandably unwilling to go through that process. Our eventual goal is to make recycling our notebooks as easy as space pie by offering a thorough recycle guide or by allowing you to send your used notebook to us so we can recycle it for you.
Our sustainability efforts are fueled by our own high standards. We believe in our ability to improve because we’ve done it before. Our first notebooks were embarrassingly environmentally unsound; the Rocketbook One was designed as a one-use notebook and the Rocketbook Wave had a 5 use lifetime. Since then, we’ve beefed that number up to infinity (we know, that’s technically not a number), so we know we’re capable of improving and are glad you’re along for the journey.
