Brand Spotlight: Karst
Updated: Aug 16
You crack open a new notebook and flip to the first page. There’s something euphoric about writing down your first word, the excitement of new thoughts flowing through the ink of your pen. From inspirational notes to jotting down a few thoughts, Karst goes beyond being your average notebook. It’s about shaping the future, taking care of tomorrow and gifting sustainability.
Karst, an Australian founded company, is a responsibly sourced, B Corp certified company that started by asking “why.” Why does paper need to be made out of trees? Why can't journals be waterproof? Why are people still using paper-making practices that were cutting-edge in the 18th century? Asking the question “why?” made the creators of Karst think of intention and how action can shape the future. What we do today matters.
To make one ton of regular pulp paper it requires 18 large trees, 2,770 litres of water and an immense amount of energy to produce. Recycling regular pulp paper is also limited to the number of cycles, 7 times to be exact, and requires virgin pulp fibres each time it’s recycled. This makes the pulp and paper industry the third largest industrial polluter for air, water, and land in the United States.
So what is Karst's solution?
Karst is 100% tree-free. Just because paper was always made from the pulp of wood, doesn’t mean it always has to be. The functionality of the product should always outrank form. Karst created paper the way the 21st century should be with 80-90% calcium carbonate, one of the world’s most abundant substances.
What’s the process?
They take dust and make paper. Let that sink in for a second. They combine calcium carbonate with resin, add heat and pressure to create something new. A velvet writing surface. Impossibly smooth. Impervious to liquid. Infinitely stronger. All from dust. They understood that making a more sustainable product could also mean making it more durable which led to a more smooth and waterproof paper product. What exactly is calcium carbonate? It is repurposed construction waste. The process focuses on eliminating the waste that is unavoidable in the traditional paper making process.
Excess defines the modern world. It doesn’t define Karst. Every factory creates waste. End Cuts and damaged batches rot away on the factory floor. At Karst, they are able to recycle scraps in-house. They are modern in everything they do. Yesterday’s leftovers become today’s paper.
What does it mean to be sustainable to Karst?
Karst takes a Cradle to Cradle® certified, biometric approach to product and system design: considering the full life-cycle of a product, and its enduring impact on the ecosystem it lives in. Recyclable, photodegradable, and compostable in commercial landfill.
Everything we do can leave a carbon footprint. It’s important to remember that every single thing we do has an impact on someone or something. There is a need to start thinking on much longer time scales, and to have more awareness of the impact we have even after we're long gone, whether that's positive or negative. Karst initiatives for a better tomorrow aligns with Giftagram’s vision for better days ahead.
"Our team is passionate about inspiring others to do more and create more, but not at the expense of the planet. To us, it’s important to remember that every single thing we do has an impact on someone or something. For us at Karst, this includes the carbon emissions involved in delivery, production, and even the elevator we ride at the office. But don't worry, we prefer to take the stairs." - Karst Team
What are the benefits of using Karst?
The paper is not only water-resistant but completely waterproof. This makes Karst the perfect employee onboarding gift to ensure all your employees' brilliant thoughts never get washed away.
Friction free smooth writing with paper that has no grain direction with bleed-proof paper that allows you to get the purest connection between thought and execution.
60% lower carbon emission and Karst offsets the rest to make sure the purchase is carbon neutral. A tree is also planted for every purchase with their partner One Tree Planted.
Tear-resistance. Never worry about your brainstorming notes or your 'aha' moment get eaten by a dog.
With Giftagram, personalized gifts have never been easier. Adding in beautiful touches such as your company logo embossed on the front makes this notebook stand out against any other notebook. Transform the cover with your artwork, print a special message on the inside or go big with a fully customized product. This is a great opportunity to reflect your company’s value, even in the smallest of details.
Karst is beyond just a notebook. From picking hard or soft cover, lined, ruled, dotted, or free for all, the combination of what you’re looking for is endless. With product varieties from notebooks, sketchbooks, and planners, there’s a notebook for everyone.
Partnering with Giftagram allows you to have customizable corporate stationery designed to capture the thoughts, ideas and insights that’ll serve as tomorrow’s inspiration, and the tasks and to-dos that will shape your company. Celebrate a product launch, provide year-end gifts for your partners and clients, or as the perfect addition to any employee onboarding gift, self care box to promote journaling and self reflection or as a client gift. Karst with Giftagram provides the elevated experience that creates a memorable, unforgettable experience. Start your business on a sustainable path, bringing your sustainable goals to life.
Need more gifting inspiration this holiday season? Check out Giftagram’s Holiday Gift Guide highlighting the top gifted gifts.
Experience the Giftagram Difference
Giftagram makes it easy to show appreciation through memorable unboxing experiences. Their full-service corporate gifting platform allows users to effortlessly send gifts, manage delivery progress, and track spending. Choose from thousands of premium and best in-class gifts, hand picked by their curation team. Click here to learn about plans and pricing.
