FILE UNDER ‘SUSTAINABLE’

very year 10 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the oceans, which is equivalent to one truckload every minute. The figures are stark and, understandably, concern for the environment is becoming a priority for governments and the public alike around the world, as are ways of reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in the oceans.

The same is true of office supplies manufacturers and the Exacompta Clairefontaine group – of which ExaClair is the UK arm – has been devising ways to cut its use of plastics in its products for well over a decade now, as well as reducing the company’s carbon emissions and waste, and increasing the use of recycled materials across its ranges.Exacompta recently launched the Maïa and Teksto office filing and accessories ranges, which are made from significant amounts of recycled and sustainable materials, without compromising on the quality that customers are accustomed to. These new selections are now being released in the UK through ExaClair.

The Maïa range takes used plastic items such as punnets, yoghurt pots and bottles, which are then ground into flakes before being converted into granules. Tinted and embossed polypropylene sheets are then extruded from these granules to produce the Maïa filing products. The polypropylene is pearled and embossed with matt and bright effects on honeycomb patterns and the range of colours has been adapted to match evolving filing trends – for both home and office – and designed to appeal to all people, young and old.

During a year more than 800 tons of post-consumption recycled plastic are used in this process, which equates to a

reduction in carbon emissions of 150 round trips between Paris and New York. Items within the Maïa range are accredited with the Blue Angel label, which is the environmental certification for those conscious of making ecologically-aware purchasing decisions.

The Maïa range features several products across an assortment of colours. These include A4 elasticated three-flap folders, filing boxes with a 40mm spine, display books with transparent crystal pockets, semi-rigid A4 ring binders, A4 lever arch files, multipart files, expanding files with 13 sections, conference files and even multi-compartmental pencil cases, which are made from recycled water bottles (rPET).

Meanwhile, the revolutionary Teksto range does away with plastic content entirely by adding a vegetal coating to materials sourced from sustainably managed forests in the production of its highquality filing products.

Teksto is another great example of how to optimise resources. Up to 25% of the Teksto range of filing products are made from production offcuts that have been reintegrated into the manufacturing process of making new card, which means that Exacompta’s overall waste is reduced. The products are then finished with an innovative vegetal coating, which gives a protective, water-resistant finish as an alternative to the more traditional lamination methods.

The Teksto range includes the first display book with a cover made from card, rather than plastic.

In addition to featuring detachable materials - and without metallic rivets to ensure easier recycling - this cover reduces the product’s share of plastic waste from 10% to 60%, depending on the capacity. Other products in the Teksto range include elasticated three-flap folders, filing boxes with a 40mm spine, lever arch files, two- and four-ring binders, 18-part expanding cases and three-flap multipart files – all of which come in a range of contemporary colours.

Another thing that hasn’t been compromised on in these FSC® or PEFC™ certified products is their recyclability; it would rather defeat the object to use a coating that couldn’t be recycled – and so, thanks to the manufacturing processes involved, when the filing products have reached the end of their working lives, they can be taken, pulped and made into something else.

The trend for environmentally sustainable products is only going to increase in pace as Generation Z – people aged 20-25, who are known to be highly engaged with environmental issues – increase their spending power in the marketplace.

For instance, a 2021 survey by online marketplace Depop, and consultancy firm Bain & Company, of 2,000 Generation Z buyers in the UK, US and Australia found that sustainability is a key concern for them. Of those surveyed for the Futureproof: How Gen Z’s empathy, awareness and fluidity are transforming business as usual survey, 90% said they had made changes to be more sustainable in their daily lives, 60% said their choices are influenced by a brand that is working to reduce its environmental footprint, and 45% said their purchases are influenced by the use of eco-friendly materials.

Generation Z are making these choices in all their spending decisions, whether on fashion choices, or in the workplace on office supplies. “With the increasing awareness among customers of the imperative to be environmentally friendly, these new ranges from Exacompta do just that,” says Lawrence Savage, Marketing Manager at ExaClair. “The company has a long-standing commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of its products and increase their sustainability; the Maïa and Teksto ranges are just the latest part of that.

“Customer demand for items that can form part of a circular economy is driving manufacturing innovations more than ever and, as production operations continue to advance in the coming years, there’s no doubt that we will see the release of even more high-quality, sustainable products throughout our brands.”

For more information on the

Maïa and Teksto ranges go to www. exaclairlimited.com, or contact the sales team on 01553 696600.