Dream. Write. Create.

Inchiostro and Paper was born in October 2017 from the dream of making the world a better place, one person at a time, one year at a time. One day at a time.
It took about two decades and a trip around the world to make this dream of paper and ink a reality.

Our story

Born as a joke between two friends, we wanted to create an agenda that was totally different from those on the market. Sabrina, the founder, had just returned from her two-year solo trip and wanted to create a diary that was a year-long inner journey. Her dream could only come true when her path crossed with that of Elena, a product designer with a passion for publishing. More than four years have passed since that evening washed down with beers. A lot of things have happened and often the two have not agreed on a cover or a strategy. But now entering their fifth year of working together they know that they share the same mission, passion and energy for this project which has now involved thousands of people around the world.

about us inchiostro and paper

Our Promises

"The biggest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."- Robert Swan

"CambiAmo", let's change in Italian, is the name of our sustainability project, the philosophy behind our brand and the meaning of every single product or post on social media. Not only do we believe that change is possible, but we are convinced that change will only really be possible when everyone, every company, customer, employer or employee takes on their responsibilities to live on a better planet. We at Inchiostro and Paper know that no one will land here to save us.

We believe it is our responsibility to save ourselves.

 

Our Dream

Inchiostro and Paper was born to bring about a global change in our society.

Ambitious? Yes, but if you have to dream, at least do it big!

We started with the two of us and in four years we have first involved hundreds and now thousands of people who over the years have decided to actively participate in our mission of change.

Since day 1, in 2017, when this all started, I have refused to take shortcuts or produce with cheap materials of dubious origin. From the beginning, we have been obsessed with every single step of our products, from production to logistics, analysing every single aspect and its impact.

Half of my time is spent looking for ways to improve our products and processes, to make Inchiostro and Paper a social enterprise with a positive impact on the environment and on society in general.

Big companies often use outlandish names and mention big NGOs to show how they are apparently doing good in the world. But often this is just a marketing move to attract new customers. How easily could any giant e-commerce really BE the change we need? How easily could we boycott all the big brands to make the market more sustainable?

For this reason Inchiostro and Paper, albeit microscopic, wants to be a company that is ethical, sustainable and with a positive social impact.

​Our Values & Our Mission

1. Personal Growth

All Inchiostro and Paper products are designed to give you a tangible space to become the best version of yourself. You are at the center of our design and in fact all our products are branded with our now famous "IO", which means "I" in Italian, as this is your private and personal space where you can really be yourself.
Each person we can help improve or be happier represents a goal achieved. The more aware and serene people there are, the more the whole world will become a happier place.

2. Zero Waste 

From our production process, we don't throw anything away. We work with pre-order to avoid any waste. In fact, from 2017 to today, all our unsold products are placed in our outlet which is constantly updated with products with minor defects or damaged on the outside, but perfect internally.

3. Sustainability

Our goal, as a sustainable stationery, is to have the least possible environmental impact. To do this, regardless of the cost, we will always choose the materials that have the lowest possible environmental impact. We are working very hard to produce recyclable products, although we believe and hope that you will keep your Inchiostro and Paper diaries and notebooks forever.

Since 2020 we only produce products made following these guidelines:

  • Renewable sources - natural (e.g. certified paper)
  • 100% recycled or 100% bio-based (crop waste, that is, must not subtract land from agriculture).
  • Our suppliers must share our same values ​​and we control their production process very closely.
  • Plastic-free 99.9999%: we have made great strides towards this goal and we are still working on it. Although we have removed all plastic from our products and packaging and replaced it with biodegradable bubbles, our biggest challenge remains the envelope for shipping labels which must be protected from rain and transport. So far we have tested other materials with little success, but we will not give up until we have found the perfect solution.

Our environmental projects:

  • Reforestation of the Dolomites: In 2018, storm Vaia and its violent winds of up to 130 km / h uprooted trees and split logs in half. In the Dolomites 5,900 hectares of forest were affected and 1000 hectares of forest were felled. We donated part of our profits to the Civil Protection so that they could help people in difficulty and reforest the Dolomites.

  • Inchiostro and Paper forest: In 2020 we planted the first trees in our global forest. For each agenda and other products selected from our collections, we have planted a tree to thank our customers and the planet. To date, we have planted over 800 trees (May 2022) equal to 164.72 tons of CO2.

  • Zero impact shipments: since 2022 we have activated a policy to compensate the emissions of our shipments. We will contribute directly with our profits to offset our carbon footprint. Our contributions are funding the Acapa - Bajo Mira y Frontera Forest Conservation project in Colombia.

    offset co2

      4. Social Impact

      Not just profit and economic growth. Our goal is to have a positive impact on the society around us. Inchiostro and Paper was born with the idea that companies, like consumers, should actively engage in improving our society. Together we can even when our efforts are small or marginal. For this reason, since the first year, we have been involved in many social projects, such as:
        • Breast Cancer Prevention and Awareness: In October 2019, on the occasion of the month for breast cancer awareness, we collected and donated € 350 to the IOV, Istituto Oncologico Veneto, the best Italian institute for cancer treatment.

        • Covid-19 Emergency: During the first wave of the COVID-19 Sars2 pandemic, we organized a series of online aperitifs to raise funds that we donated to the Civil Protection.

        • BracciodiFerro RfE Onlus: From January 2022 we have decided to create a partnership with BRF, a non-profit association that aims to support children with oncological problems, serious illnesses, pain and incurability and to support their families. . With each purchase, we will donate a percentage to the association.

        • Pride Month: love is love. It doesn't matter who you are in love with, but if you have found Love, protect and defend it. During Pride Month 2021, we created surprise and love-themed boxes to support the cause.

        • War in Ukraine: with the features of the new site, you can help us support Emergency which is operating in Ukraine helping children and the wounded. Choose the amount of your donation at check out.

      We will probably not become a large multinational. We probably have neither the ambition nor the skills to do so. But what we are sure of is that in our small way we will always do our best to make a difference. To operate in an ethical, sustainable and socially active way.

      What is really important to us, is to change the world, one day at a time.