How can we make bookbinding a more sustainable activity?
- Reduce our usage of PVA: Although PVA is biodegradable, Polyvinyl acetate is made from acetic acid and ethylene which is often made from natural gas or petroleum (fossil fuels).
- Reuse materials, use recycled paper, avoid wastage: Paper can, on average, be recycled seven times. It’s much more energy efficient to create new paper from recycled sources than to create it from scratch.
- Experiment with new sustainable materials such as “vegan leather”. Vegan leather is a material that mimics leather, but is created from artificial or plant products instead of animal skins. But what is it made of? Some vegan leather is made from plant-based materials, while others are created from artificial products and plastics. Try to avoid the latter. Generally though, vegan leather has a lower environmental impact than real leather.
Some examples of sustainable paper
Book Structures That Don’t Need Glue
Limp Binding, Single section, Paper cover
Limp Binding, two sections, vegan leather cover
Zig zag book with wrapped cover
