Small businesses are one of my favourite things to blog about. The idea of helping a business grow and spreading their message is so important. So today, for #WorldStationeryDay, I wanted to share with you a small company that is making a huge difference around the world – through stationery. Without further ado, let me present to you: VENT for Change.
VENT for Change is a UK based ethical brand that is good for the environment – and for people. Their products, as I will go into, are made from various recycled items. I had the absolute pleasure to meet the founder, Evan Lewis, yesterday and I am so humbled by his mission. He spoke about his story – and the story of VENT for Change.
THE MISSION
We often take for granted the power of education. In UK, children are given free education. They are given opportunities that sadly just isn’t available everywhere else. Evan and his team are working to change that. Believing that pencils are an incredible important tool to help facilitate education, VENT give out free pencils around the world. But pencils only go so far. You also need schools, teachers and other essential materials. For this, money is required to help rebuild the schools when disasters strike, to pay the teachers or to purchase other materials. So VENT actually give proceeds from every product sold go towards helping children and getting them into education.
“Pencils are the most iconic educational tool going back centuries and I wanted to do something with them, something inspirational.” Evan Lewis, Founder
You can see the passion that Evan has for VENT and the mission that he has set out to do when he talks about it. He really is working towards providing a better world for everyone, starting by educating children. Whilst he is working hard to raise money and provide children with these essential tools, he is also helping the environment by producing only environmentally friendly products.
THE PRODUCTS
Every product is recycled, each using different products. In some cases they recycled single use plastic and turning it into something more lasting. In other situations, they have recycled paper or coffee cups.
Writing Instruments:
These beautiful pencils are made from recycled CD cases – there is no wood in them. Each and every single one of them is tree friendly. These pencils are also incredibly pretty. They are foiled, with the word ‘ideas’ on the end and three lines to match their logo in the middle. I really like how bright the ‘Orchid Pink’ pencil is but their whole pencil range is stunning. There is two different designs, in a variety of colours each and both are simple yet beautiful.
VENT also offers ballpoint pens in packs of two. These are currently not available on the website but I am sure they will be soon. Recycling single use plastic, VENT turned it into these elegant pens. They come with navy blue and baby pink text down the side, which reads “make a mark” and “make a change”.
Notebooks:
VENT currently sell three different types of notebooks, each offering a variety of colours or designs.
They have a range of A5 Hardback Books that come in blue or grey. Each one offers three different covers at this time. These are available to purchase on their website, where they come with a pencil and book mark included. The notebooks also have an internal slip pocket, which can be used to store loose notes that you have. With 120 pages, these notebooks will last you for a while!
There is also an A5 soft cover range (pictured left). I love these beautiful designs and the colour combinations. They even have the word ‘ideas’ foiled in gold on them.
With the stitch binding, these books lay flat when opened. The ‘Notebook’ range offers lined paper, whilst the ‘sketchbook’ range contains plain paper. These products are thinner and great for travelling. They could also be used as inserts for an A5 sized traveler’s notebook.
The third type is their smallest notebooks. These are their pocket notebooks (pictured left). They come in similar colour combinations to their larger counterparts. Again, you have a choice between the ‘sketchbook’ plain paper notebooks or the lined ‘notebooks’. In these specific notebooks, the cover is made from 50% reclaimed coffee cup fibers (and 50% recycled paper). The inside paper features fully recycled paper. These pocket notebooks also come with a cute bookmark.
THE CONCLUSION
I am so in love with their whole range. These products have such a lovely design on them that they could appeal to everyone and anyone. They also are great for the environment and if that was not enough, they help support global education. VENT for Change really is the whole package right there. Beautiful designs, functional products and great for both the world and for people. VENT for Change is the good for the future and I am so thrilled that I found out about them. I cannot wait to see how they grow from here. I hope to see more products in the range as they grow but I absolutely love everything they already stock.
You can purchase the products directly from them via the VENT for Change website – and if you go to the bottom of the page, subscribe to stay updated with their news and products. You can join their vent. It’s hard to find products that are ethical and beautiful so I’m thrilled to be able to share these with you today.
Disclaimer: I was sent some samples of these by the PR team behind National Stationery Week but that does not influence my review in any way. I chose to review these today after meeting Evan Lewis, the founder of VENT for Change and seeing his passion first hand. He shared the story and mission with me, which compelled me to share the beautiful products with you today. I literally cried tears of joy whilst writing out most of this. It is just truly inspiring to see someone care so much about both the planet and the people. The world needs more people and brands like this. I am truly moved by VENT for Change and cannot wait to see what they do.
The pencils look pretty and cool.