FAQ

Utilizing sustainable materials that are backed with plenty of research is one of our core values. We are constantly investing in new material options, and push the limits of our budget to bring them to you! 

This includes:

- using materials with post-consumer waste and recycled content
- shipping without plastic and minimizing our plastic usage in our own office
- partnering with FSC certified, Ancient Forest Friendly mills that practice responsible forest management
- ensuring that our materials are renewable and recyclable wherever we can 
- staying local to minimize our carbon footprint, with a lot of production done in-house 
- partnering alongside others that care about the environment

Our journals, planners, and notepads are crafted in Canada in small batches. 

In addition to supporting an entire local network of craftspeople, freight emissions involved in local production are significantly reduced. This is with respect to getting your order to your doorstep, as well as sourcing materials that are used to craft products. Your purchase supports small businesses and reinvestment in ethical and sustainable products.

We believe that ethical labour is fair compensation in a country with:

- adequate vacation and sick leave

- safe working conditions 

- strong employment standards and employee rights

- equal opportunity for all regardless of gender, race, disability, sexuality, or religion 

For this reason, we choose to partner primarily with Canadian manufacturers due to the Canadian Human Rights Act, Employment Equity Act, and the Canada Labour Code.

PCW (post-consumer waste) refers to goods that are manufactured, used by the consumer, and then diverted away from the landfill and into a new product. For instance, plastic water bottles or containers placed into a blue bin. These plastics are taken to a regional facility, where a manufacturer might purchase them to create something new. In our case, planner ribbons. All of our planner ribbons are created from plastic bottles. 

Unfortunately, so much plastic ends up in the ocean and/or in landfills. That is why post-consumer waste is a key to diverting pollution from landfills, and we that it will play a large role in positive environmental change for the future.

Stone paper has become a popular alternative, and we have been asked several times about this material. We did test it personally, but encountered many issues with it. 

First, to our knowledge, this paper variant is only manufactured overseas. This would compromise our value of local production. What was worse, though, was that one of us developed a migraine due to sensitivity to the smell of the product. We are not sure if it was due to the binding glue used, the HDPE (a plastic used to make stone paper), or something else in the material. However, we do not think toxic smells should be part of a stationery experience.

Second, we find some of the environmental claims about materials like these dubious.

- Stone is not a renewable resource like paper. For stone to even begin regenerating, it takes millions of years. In comparison, some species of trees grow as fast as two feet a year. There is a reason why wood has been used by humans as a resource for millions of years!

Responsible forest management is at the core, and when done properly, wood is a very beneficial, eco-friendly resource. 

- Stone paper is not curbside recyclable. It must be taken to a special facility.

- Stone paper is combined with HDPE, a plastic, as mentioned above. 

In terms of stationery usage, our ink smudged a lot. We also felt that the paper would ruin some of our beloved pen nibs over time. Regardless, we encourage you to do your own research. For now, we source paper from FSC-certified mills that are local, incorporate post-consumer waste into their paper, and are at the forefront of responsible forest management. 

The main reason is that despite testing many 100% PCW papers, we haven’t found one that stands up to all the media used by the community. This includes highlighters, art markers, distress oxides, fountain pens, etc. However, we do source papers that are untreated, made locally, adhere to responsible forest management, and utilize trees with a high regenerative rate.

The best way to create more PCW products, however, is to keep supporting these materials despite their higher cost. This is why all of our book end-sheets, notepads, planner bands, thank you cards, tab rulers, etc., are printed on 100% PCW paper. Our sticky pads all use 30% PCW paper. We will continue to invest in innovative materials as our company grows, because this aligns with our values.

It is worth noting that all virgin fibre is bad for the environment. Trees can regenerate and grow as much as two feet in a single year! It's been an amazing resource for humans for millions of years, and we pride ourselves in partnering with mills that have some of the best practices in forest management in the world. 

While all of our products are sustainable, our notepads are made from 100% post-consumer waste, are fully recyclable, and have the lowest carbon footprint. 

All of our planners use ribbons made from 100% PCW. Our planner covers and paper are carefully selected - please see individual product pages for material certifications as our covers change with each collection.

Starting with the 2023 collection, we've moved fully to 100% PCW endsheets which include 10% hemp content.

Our brass pens are recyclable as well, our recycled aluminium ones being infinitely so. 

Our stickers are PVC-free and the liners are recyclable in your curbside recycling. Most sticker liners are not. 

We do our very best to make sure the photos on our website are as accurate as possible! However, please note there is often a degree of variance amongst screens, as a function of the lighting in which a photo is taken, etc. There can also be differences between batches of the same book cloth colour. Therefore, while we make every effort to make our content as true-to-life as possible, please be aware there may be some variance. Please contact us if you'd like more info!

We use book cloths which are as sustainable as possible, which makes them more delicate, as they are not coated in plastic.

If water is spilled on your planner cover, pat dry with a microfiber towel or let dry naturally. Slight discoloration may occur, but can fade over time.

We do not recommend rubbing cloth materials when wet, especially near any foiled areas, as the cloth fibers may shift and this can result in foil removal.

It can be challenging to balance sustainability with the same level of durability as a coated fabric. We do our best to source uncoated fabrics that are carbon neutral, FSC-certified, REACH compliant, and vegan. Reaching these certifications means that environmentally-harmful coatings are omitted.

As we are regularly trying new, innovative cover materials in our collections, please contact us directly if you have any questions, as performance across the various cloth covers we use varies.

If you are interested in reading more about real world experiences from H&O users, check out our community group on Facebook.

Mailers: Our standard mailers are made of kraft and can be recycled in your cardboard bin (sometimes paper – check with your recycler). They are made in BC, Canada!

Tape: We use water-activated paper tape with a gummed adhesive that is eco-friendly and recyclable.

Protection: We pad your planners with kraft compostable tissue paper. Please put your tissue paper in the compost — while tissue paper is recyclable, the are very few buyers that will recycle it due to the weaker fibers.

Labels: While most shipping label liners (called release liners) are treated with a silicone coating, our shipping label liners are fully recyclable. Better yet, our labels are zero waste and made out of 100% recycled materials. We encourage everyone to make the switch so release liners stop going to the landfill! 

Stickers/washi: We package most accessories in glassine envelopes and sealed with one of our zero waste stickers. Glassine is fully recyclable in your curbside paper recycling. It looks a little like wax paper or parchment paper!

Additional packaging: Any paper included in your parcel, such as cards, band wraps, etc. are printed on FSC-certified 100% post-consumer waste paper made in Canada.

Our new keepsake boxes are made in Canada with FSC-certified materials. The board is 100% PCW and the kraft outer paper is 30% PCW, and these can be recycled.

We try to subsidize shipping rates to make our products more accessible, and primarily ship with UPS.

We use Canada Post for PO Box shipments, or USPS via Chit Chats for US PO Boxes.

Please note that if delivery is time sensitive, please select an expedited option at checkout or contact us directly to enquire about faster courier rates.

From the time your order is shipped and taken out of our hands, your parcel will usually arrive within 5-7 business days. We ship from BC, Canada on the west coast and most shipments go out via UPS Standard.

We ship all orders as soon as possible. However, there are sometimes postal delays, especially around holidays and during world events. We're a small team and we always do our best to get your planner to its new home as quickly as we can!

Please ensure you follow your parcel using the tracking number provided (normally UPS or Canada Post) for any direct updates, as we do not have control over delivery once parcels ship. We cannot access more information than is available to you. If your shipment experiences an unusual delay, we can do our best to assist – please just pop us an email.

We do not currently offer local pick-up, but we do subsidize shipping costs to make them more affordable!

We piloted a local pick-up option in 2022 where we would mail parcels to a pick-up location, but found several issues with it taking longer than expected and parcels getting lost.

We will list stockists here in the future.

Parcels are sent out (normally within 1-3 business days), so please contact us immediately at hello@hemlockandoak.com if you need to change something! We'll do our best to assist.

You have 30 days from the date of purchase to contact us at hello@hemlockandoak.com regarding any order problems. 

Unfortunately, change-of-mind returns are not accepted at this time. We are a tiny team and it requires a lot of resources (as well as additional carbon footprint) to arrange for you to send back your order.

However, we provide free downloads of all our planners so you can try them at home first! We want you to be happy with your purchase, so please take your time to download the layouts and find what works for you. 

If you are unsure of a colour and need more examples, feel free to email us at hello@hemlockandoak.com. 
Once an order is placed, we encourage you to review your order confirmation to make sure that everything is correct. 

Time sensitive orders should select an express method at checkout.

Once your parcel is in the hands of a shipping carrier, delivery times are out of our control. This is especially the case during holidays or in extreme weather emergencies, such as floods, fires or snow storms.  

Please make sure you plan ahead if you want gifts to arrive on time, or select the recipient's address as the shipping address. We do our best to accommodate our community, so please reach out directly if you have any specific questions.

Absolutely! Make sure that your details are in the billing area, but that the gift recipient's address is in the shipping area.  

If you accidentally input the wrong address and your order is shipped out, we are unable to make further changes. Please note you will have to take care of an additional shipping cost if the parcel is returned to us. This is because we already subsidize shipping and we cannot afford to continuously cover mistakes, as we are a small business! Please review your information carefully at checkout, and also check your order confirmation in your inbox.