At the start of a new year, I decided to use my most local printer for Locavore Boxes work: GE/Studios is right next door to us here on Buller St - you can’t more local than that! (Not for printing anyway…)

Gilbert’s work is very beautiful - which is one reason. He has also meticulously researched the carbon footprint of all the papers he uses - another thing that’s important to us here at Locavore.

So the card we use for our recipes now is a heavier weight than the previous paper; it has a light satin finish on the front and a slightly matt finish on the back and a warm creamy tone that just adds a certain something! And its carbon footprint?

Gilbert says “The card comes from a mill in Lenzing, Austria which specialises in 100% recycled paper stocks and runs two lines, one of which is fully carbon zero, the other (which manufactures this particular card) is not neutral but close to and working toward that target. The supply chain is always carbon heavy, but the Lenzing Mill freights to Trieste port by electric train, and is then shipped to Auckland. Container ships are actually extraordicarily carbon efficient and the transport leg to New Zealand is a minimal contribution to the card's full life carbon footprint. From Auckland to Dunedin is the single heaviest contribution to the emission if sent by truck. Currently Mainfreight tries to use trains when the ferry is available to an inland port in Christchurch and then trucked to BJ Ball paper in Dunedin. With ferry's unreliable for train cargo freight is back to trucks. Without proper investment in train enabled Cook Strait ferries, we'll all be worse off. The Government's current stance is depressing and will probably force Mainfreight to commit to carbon heavy trucking which is very disappointing - GE/STUDIO offsets residual emissions, but we would rather not have to..."”

If you use our recipes you will have noticed the difference. I hope you’re as happy with it as I am!