I have recently written a review on eco-friendly marker pens and thought I would stick with green stationary and write a mini-review on a product that I use myself; Remarkable stationary . In this article I am going to review four of their products that I use: the pencil case, pencils, the notebook and the mouse mat. I know this all sounds slightly mundane, so I will also tell you little about the company and highlight some of their other innovative products.
The products that I own
Pencil case – made from recycled car tyres, this does the job as well as any other pencil case on the market. The zip is sturdy and the case itself is hardy enough to see me through all of my university lectures without developing a hole; in fact being made from used tyres makes it practically indestructible – it will probably be the last pencil case you ever need to buy. The one downside is that it’s black, thus making it impossible for me to hand it on to my eldest daughter, who likes pink. They do a few that are made with various coloured trimmings, including girly pink, but they are still not pink enough for my girl to want one.
Pencils – made from old plastic cups, CD cases and polystyrene packaging. Apart from that what can I say? They’re pencils, they draw.
Notebook – this nifty little product is made from recycled paper, with the front and back covers made from old retail packaging. It’s a handy, pocket A6 size (they do other sizes as well) and always says something about your ecological credentials whenever you pull it out to jot down some notes.
Mouse Mat – this is my personal favourite of the Remarkable range. I appreciate that it’s only a mouse mat, but compared to some that I have used, it allows the mouse to move really well across it, having exactly the right amount of ‘grip’ – I suppose that’s to be expected when it’s made from recycled car tyres. Gamers take note – you will not find a better mouse mat for taking aim at a computer-generated enemy than this one, so much so that whenever I go to my friend’s house for a (seldom) spot of online gaming, I always take my mouse mat with me. Geeky? Perhaps.
The products that I own all come up trumps with regard to use, and they also make a statement about my values and myself whenever I use them. I like that. Additionally, it’s good to see old tyres being put to good use. In the UK we throw away about 440,000 used tyres annually – at about 10kg per tyre, that’s nearly 4.5 million tonnes of waste. Not just any waste either. Tyres are notoriously difficult to dispose of because they are made to be incredibly tough – just look at the Michelin Man. They will not biodegrade, you can’t burn them without creating harmful fumes and they will leach toxic chemicals if sent to landfill. Unfortunately, nothing has been found, as yet, to perform the job of keeping our cars from sliding off the road or into each other.
The company
The Remarkable brand is based firmly around the concept of re-using and recycling, thus reducing (do you see what I did there?). Their ethos has led them to produce items made from used plastic cups, CD packaging, car tyres, retail waste packaging, plastic bottles and paper. For those cynics out there who don’t believe that domestic recycling can make a difference, you should pay attention to this company; imagine how much waste would be saved if they became a multinational global corporation producing more than just stationary. They have successfully closed a loop in the waste to land fill cycle, consequently saving the resources that would otherwise be used to produce new stationary products. A catchy line that they use on their products is “I used to be a…” this immediately identifies the Remarkable brand, but also lets anyone else know where the product comes from without the owner having to appear self-righteous by bragging about their latest purchase. Because of this bold statement their products also make excellent gifts. On the downside, they are a little more expensive than other stationary products on the market.
From looking at their website, it would appear that I have written this piece at the wrong time (June 2010) because they are about release a new range of products: bags t-shirts and Frisbees (cool) – watch this space. For now, however, well done Remarkable, keep up the good work.
In the mean time, if you would like to view our wide range of office supplies and stationary then why not visit ESW’s store?
