Every being in this world has a life cycle. Although it is not the only destiny they have, trees are the raw material used to produce paper and, therefore, books. To sum things up, “It’s the circle of life / And it moves us all.” The only problem is that books usually end up on the shelves. And it’s understandable why — we want to pass the information on to the next generations. With more than 45 million pages printed per day in Argentina, one might want to reconsider this process. So, how about reversing the phenomenon? What if there would be a book that could turn back into a tree?
Pequeno Editor and FCB&FiRe creative agency gave a shot to this thought and created a collection of books for kids that can grow back into trees once they have successfully completed their mission. During this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday, we introduce you to “Tree Book Tree,” a campaign that addresses children by teaching them to be eco-friendly and give back what it is rightfully Mother Nature’s.
According to the Buenos-Aires-based agency, this book is the first of its kind, as it can be planted after one finished reading it. It is made of acid-free paper, biodegradable ecological ink, and Jacarandá seeds, a native species that is the source of a huge amount of oxygen when it grows, helping the environment better face the carbon-dioxide challenge.
“We took advice from Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) where we were handed certified seeds and guarantee their growth. Then, we tried to take the paper process to its most natural end, generating handmade acid-free paper made of cellulose pulp only. We’ve manually incorporated into this paper the Jacarandá seeds, one by one, so we could make sure that they grow with the necessary space. To the printing process, we’ve implemented biodegradable ink that doesn’t affect the soil and even favors the seeds’ growth,” said the team behind the project.
Pequeño Editor awareness has grown over 70%, being visible worldwide too (Rwanda and Italy were some of the countries that have planted the books). Even better, the publications inspired the education system to adopt this campaign and use it as a perfect tool to create “planting days” at school.
We have taken so much from nature that it is imperative that we give back. There are many behaviors we can adopt in order to do this: Eco-friendly activities such as picking up trash, giving up on our carnivorous instincts to reduce the environmental impact of meat production, or thinking twice before going clothing shopping. Yet, in our opinion, the book that the agency has created is one of the most creative ways that one can follow to help nature take a breath of fresh air.
Credits:
Client: Pequeno Editor
Agency: FCB&FiRe