Greeting cards that can be reused and tracked over time

Americans exchange some 7 billion greeting cards each year, according to the Greeting Card Association, so one has only to extrapolate to begin to imagine how much paper and ink are involved worldwide. Enter the reusable greeting card, which we’ve now spotted on two different continents. Minnesota-based Regreet, for example, uses labels and mailing supplies that make it easy and chic for consumers to reuse greeting cards. Recipients of a Regreet card simply apply a signature label over the sender’s message and write their own text instead. If they want, they can also enclose a “Hop Along” kit that includes a greeting label, a sheet of note paper and an envelope for the next user. Those sending the card for the first time apply a journey label to the back of the card; journey codes enable users to track their card’s travels over time. A basic Regreet kit, including four cards—with journey labels, signature labels, sheets of notepaper and envelopes—and four Hop Along kits (with signature labels, notepaper and envelopes) is priced online at USD 11.99. A portion of Regreet’s profits gets donated to selected nonprofit partners. Australian Merry-go-round greeting cards, on the other hand, have slits cut inside that allow them to hold a message on a separate slip of paper. Recipients of a sustainably produced Merry-go-round card can replace the slip of paper with their own and send the card on with a new message. Featuring the artwork of well-known Australian children’s book illustrators, Merry-go-round cards each include a refill and instructions. Each collection of Merry-go-round cards is printed in a limited number, making cards more rare as they get older. To track each card’s history, users can each fill in a little blank tree on the back of their card, making it easy to see how many sets of hands it’s passed through. Available both online and through select Australian and New Zealand retailers, Merry-go-round cards are priced at AUD 23.95 per set of six cards. Where ecoEnvelopes aim to minimize the paper needed for reply mail, Regreet and Merry-go-round promise to achieve something similar for greeting cards. Retailers the world over: time to add some eco-iconic options to your greeting-card lines…? Spotted by: Tad Schmitz and Jayne Richards