Whether it’s professional or personal, a great first exchange is often punctuated with a business card. Even in this digital age, the traditional business card is still a successful networking tool and is an important step in making strong connections.

It wears your name, your business and represents you.  When considering how to project your image before you purchase thousands of business cards, it’s important to take into account the design, the quality and the manufacturing process — after all, it’s all about impressions. With business cards being tree-based, communicating in a sustainable way tells prospects that you have green intentions and are socially and environmentally aware.

Why should a business card go green?

A vital marketing tool for companies, the business card is a way to make a first impression and linger on in memory. By opting for an energy efficient card, companies make statements like we are socially aware or we understand the importance of sustaining energy and most importantly we are doing our part.

A study completed by Edelman Public Relations found that 80 per cent of respondents said they would boycott a company perceived as being socially and environmentally irresponsible, according to The World’s Greenest Business Card website.

The World’s Greenest Business Card produces the most ethically made and environmentally responsible cards that are “as sustainably produced as possible.” That means they print on a waterless press in efforts to avoid ink effluents going down the drain; they print on 100% Post Consumer Waste recycled paper and all of it is manufactured in Canada — with 1% of the sales set to support Canadian environmental charities.  Also, a tree is planted with every order!

Can a business card really be energy efficient?

The business card is an extension of smart marketing — strategically selecting an environmentally conscious card shows you are energy efficient and aware, this tells clients and other businesses that you understand your social responsibility with green messaging.

With every press run, The Worlds Greenest Business Card claims to save an average of:

  • 692 lbs of wood (totaling two trees)
  • 875 gallons of water
  •  2 min British Thermal units of energy
  • 211 lbs of emissions
  • 112 lbs of solid waste

Making the order

The quality is high and the costs are comparable to other printing companies — but The World’s Greenest Business Card remains the most ethically produced. By increasing quantities, the pricing goes down because a shared run prints 500 cards a sheet and grouping it all on the same run will also result in both a reduced cost and a more sustainable way of printing.

There are no creative sacrifices necessary to print green; The World’s Greenest Business Card provides both sides of the card and the option to print in full colour with low impact vegetable inks. The official website provides all the information for the file specs and even offers a service to correct files that don’t meet the specifications at an additional cost.

The printing runs happen monthly — and it’s just a week between when it prints to the time it’s delivered.  The printing schedule is available online.

Who uses The World’s Greenest Business Card?

From companies like ING Direct to Rainbow Foods, tons of businesses are getting green.

“Choosing the World’s Greenest Business Card was a no brainer for me. It is an extension of my brand, which is rooted in sustainability. My card always receives compliments, and the fact it was printed on FSC certified paper often sparks a conversation,” Kelly Drennan, founder of Fashion Takes Action, stated on the World’s Greenest Business Card’s website.

Image credit: bobeightpop