Sometimes the best green products are the ones that strip away all the frippery and bring out the essence of an object.
That’s the approach that Naked Binder has taken with its 3-ring binder made from 100% recycled board, which itself contains 97% post-consumer content.
For just $8, you can own what Naked Binder calls perhaps “the greenest, most eco-friendly binder on the planet.”
Naked Binder makes some bold claims on the durability of the binder’s hinge, supposedly made to last for at least 50,000 flexes.
We can’t verify that the product actually lasts through 50,000 flexes (because we have a life, one that does not involve sitting around for days opening and closing a binder), but we can say that the binder seems plenty durable — certainly more durable than other less eco-friendly binders you might find in a typical office supply store or drugstore.
You can tell that Naked Binder really cares about the materials that go into its products. The company’s website has a really nice informational section about the “Not So Raw” materials used in making its binders.
We actually didn’t get a chance to sample the bare naked binder. Instead Naked Binder sent us two slightly clothed versions of its basic binder – the Project Binder ($10, naked binder with 100% cotton book-binding cloth covering the spine) and the Wrapped Binder ($10, naked binder covered in 30% post-consumer embossed grey paper and lined with white FSC-certified acid-free book end paper).
IOHO there’s something slightly oxymoronic about selling a Wrapped Naked Binder. I mean isn’t that like saying that we’re all naked under our clothes?
The Naked Binder certainly seems like the eco-friendliest choice, but we recognize that not everyone can walk into an important business meeting carrying such a raw, utilitarian object. The fact is that appearances do matter and that both dressier binders – the Project and Wrapped Binders – offer an impressive blend of style, substance and eco-friendliness at a reasonable price.
We do wish that the Project Binder was wrapped with organic cotton. And we’d love to see the Wrapped Binder use paper on both the outside and inside with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content.
But a critic can always find fault. The bottom line is that all the Naked Binders are praiseworthy – even beautiful – products.
Where to buy:
At this time, Naked Binders are available exclusively online through the Naked Binder website.
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We’re still waiting to hear back from the #2 winner of the Embrace Only Love Sweepstakes. Per the contest rules, he/she has another few weeks to respond before we hold another prize drawing to choose an alternate winner.
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