Printed on Stone Paper

Most of our books are printed on stone paper.

We began doing it when we were very small and it was the harder and more expensive option, and it has been our default ever since — the paper we choose unless a particular edition makes it impossible.

What it is

Stone paper is made from calcium carbonate — limestone, the most abundant mineral on earth, largely recovered as a by-product of quarrying — ground to a fine powder and bound with a small proportion of HDPE, a polyethylene resin, into sheets that print, fold and feel remarkably like fine paper.

It is not paper in the botanical sense. There is no cellulose in it, and no tree.

Why we chose it

Conventional papermaking consumes forests, enormous quantities of water, and chemical bleaches and acids that must then be treated. Stone paper's manufacture uses no trees, no water and no bleach, and the mineral it is made from is abundant and largely a by-product of stone already being quarried for other purposes.

For a house whose books are about caring for the planet, printing them on felled trees never sat well with us.

What it means for a child's book

Stone paper is exceptionally durable. It is water-resistant, grease-resistant and difficult to tear — which matters more than it sounds, because our books are read by small hands, at bath time, at breakfast, outdoors, in libraries where one copy passes through hundreds of children.

It has a soft, matte surface that holds illustration beautifully, and it does not yellow with age. A stone paper book is made to survive childhood.

Being honest about it

We think environmental claims should be stated carefully, so here is the whole picture.

Stone paper contains plastic. It is not biodegradable, and it does not compost. Under prolonged direct sunlight the binder breaks down over time, but that is not a disposal route we would present as a virtue.

It should not go in the paper recycling bin — it is not cellulose, and it can contaminate paper streams. Where facilities accept it, it belongs with rigid plastics (HDPE, type 2), and it can be reprocessed into new stone paper or other HDPE products. Collection varies widely by country and municipality, so please check locally.

It is a better choice, in our judgement, than felling trees and bleaching pulp to make picture books. It is not a perfect one, and we have not found a perfect one. We keep looking.

Certification

Our stone paper is manufactured to Cradle to Cradle standards.

Questions about our materials? Write to us at [contact email] — we would rather answer them than have you guess.