BEHIND THE BRAND

A stationery brand built on recycled materials and a social mission

Vent For Change began with an ageing production line. In 2014, the founder bought machinery capable of turning recycled plastic into pencils. After around eighteen months of improvements, the line was producing a million more pencils than the existing market could absorb.

Having worked as an environmental entrepreneur since 1999, the founder wanted to direct that surplus towards people as well as the planet. Pencils have been a basic educational tool for centuries, yet millions of children worldwide still miss out on schooling. The question was simple: could the extra pencils help get more children into classrooms? Often a pencil is all that stands between a child and the education they long for.

By 2017, the company was donating tens of thousands of pencils to charities and NGOs around the world and running a nationwide education day in the UK. More could still be done, so the decision was taken to build a brand and sell pencils alongside a collection of notebooks through retail. Proceeds from those sales would support existing education projects and charities globally.

From launch to relaunch

The first Vent retail collection arrived in early 2019 and was well received. Sales were strong and awards followed, then the pandemic struck. Because the business was still small, it was not carrying heavy stock levels or burdensome costs. The two years that followed were spent developing ideas and designs, and the brand relaunched at its first trade show as restrictions lifted.

Balancing creativity and responsibility

Running your own brand means blending creativity with responsibility, without having to answer to anyone else. The creativity lies in designing products people want in their bags or on their desks; the responsibility lies in creating ranges that protect the environment and respect the supply chain. Everything is made from recycled and sustainable materials, produced in the EU or the UK, and socially responsible. That balance is harder to strike when working for others with an agenda that puts profit before purpose.

Lessons learned

Having run businesses before, the founder had already made many of the mistakes that might otherwise have been made with Vent For Change. The advice to a younger self is straightforward: if something feels wrong, do not wait in the hope it will improve. Act on mistakes and make the necessary changes before it is too late. The pandemic was a major challenge, but sensible cost cutting and stock management, along with support from retailers, helped the business negotiate its way through.

What is coming next

A new collection of notebooks features covers made from a fabric produced from recycled ocean waste, combined with 100 per cent recycled paper, in four muted yet eye-catching colourways.

Asking for a personal favourite is tricky, because it changes with every look through the samples and swatches. That is a good sign: being happy with whichever one you were given is a healthy place to be.

Meeting retailers

Exhibiting is chiefly about seeing existing retailers and hearing their feedback, which is normally very positive, and about meeting new potential customers and explaining the journey and what the brand stands for.

Sustainability at the core

Sustainability is not an add-on; it is the essence of the brand, alongside a social philosophy of supporting education. Every decision, from product design to marketing, has sustainability at its core, with people and the planet at the centre.