Care for Our Planet

Hallmark and Crayola Set Science-Based Target

In 2022, we marked a major milestone in our sustainability journey: the approval of our Science-Based Target by the Science-Based Target initiative (SBTi). This UN-sponsored organization drives climate action by inspiring companies to set science-based emissions reduction targets, and we’re joining more than 2,000 organizations with our commitment.

This approval means our goals align with what climate science indicates is needed to prevent the most dangerous impacts to the planet. We’re hard at work to reach our approved targets for 2030, which include:
• Reducing emissions created by our own facilities by 46.2% by 2030
• Reducing emissions from our business operations by 27.5% by 2030

Our businesses are aligned on the road map we’ll use to achieve these targets, and this unified approach is reflected in our new enterprise sustainability four-point plan. Officially launched during our first-ever Enterprise Sustainability Summit, the four-point plan focuses on areas where we have the greatest opportunity to reduce our global emissions: product and content; renewable energy; sustainable forestry; and transportation.

Our Science-Based Target and four-point plan mark the beginning of the next generation of our sustainability efforts, building upon the Hallmark and Crayola brands’ long histories of caring for the planet. ♦ 

Hallmark and Crayola Launch Supplier Renewable Energy Program

As we’ve strengthened our commitment to sustainability and created a roadmap for how we’ll reduce our impact on the planet, it has become increasingly clear: we can’t do it alone. Addressing challenges throughout the full life cycle of our products requires collaboration and partnership across our global supply chain.

With this in mind, we created a program that tackles emissions stemming from our suppliers’ production of our raw materials and finished goods—one of the largest contributors to our overall carbon footprint. We launched the Supplier Renewable Energy Program in 2022 and encouraged our suppliers to join us on this journey.

As part of this program, our top suppliers are expected to use 100% renewable electricity for production of our products and raw materials by 2030. Transitioning to renewable electricity is a major commitment for any business, so we’re partnering closely with our suppliers and sharing best practices and tools as they work toward this goal.

We’re encouraged by the progress and idea-sharing we’ve already seen as a result of this program and look forward to the ways we’ll continue to care for the planet together. ♦ 

Harnessing the Power of Renewable Energy

As part of our enterprise sustainability four-point plan, we’re committed to transitioning to 100% renewable electricity and reducing emissions across our businesses. Exciting progress is underway at each of our facilities, including our Liberty Distribution Center in Liberty, Missouri, which now sources 100% renewable electricity for its operations. By participating in the Renewables Direct program with local utility provider Evergy, the Liberty Distribution Center receives 12,800,000 KWH of electricity from a wind farm in southwestern Kansas.

Meanwhile, Crayola has been using 100% renewable electricity for its U.S. facilities since 2020. This includes electricity produced from its 20-acre solar farm in Easton, Pennsylvania. With these combined efforts, our enterprise now receives 36% of its energy from renewable sources, bringing us another step closer to achieving our Science-Based Target. ♦

Creativity Meets Sustainability

A key priority in our new four-point plan is to redesign our products and packaging to reduce their carbon footprint. In 2022, Crayola implemented a Life Cycle Assessment across groups focused on sustainability, packaging, and product engineering to better understand the environmental impact of package designs. As part of these efforts, the company made the transition from bleached white crayon sleeves to a more sustainable optionkraft paper. This change saves a significant amount of CO₂ emissions each year.

In addition to the crayon sleeves, all Crayola colored pencils are made with reforested, Forest Stewardship Council . Crayola construction paper and coloring books are produced with Sustainable Insurance Facility (SIF)-certified paper, and the U.S.-produced Color Wonder line features FSC-certified packaging and SIF-certified paper. ♦ 

Gorgeous (and Sustainable) Gift Presentation

Receiving an elegantly wrapped gift makes the experience even better—and to top that, Hallmark has the best-rated sustainable wrapping paper, according to “Good Housekeeping.”

In September 2022, the Good Housekeeping Institute—comprised of experts who test and recommend products for their sustainability—announced that Hallmark’s Holiday Sustainable Kraft Tri-Pack wrapping paper was number one on its list! “Opting for eco-friendly wrapping paper is one small choice to help reduce your environmental footprint while still enjoying gift-giving,” according to “Good Housekeeping.”

Our product scored points for its recyclability, the limited use of ink on the paper, and lines on the back to help with perfectly straight cuts. Additionally, Hallmark now offers recyclable wrapping paper printed on 100% post-consumer-waste recycled paper.

Additionally, Hallmark Australia and New Zealand offer wrapping paper made from recycled sources, including RecycleMe^TM coffee cups from Detpak. The partnership diverts millions of used coffee cups from landfills and instead reuses paper fibers from the cup lining to make gift wrap. ♦

Partnership with the Woodland Trust

The Woodland Trust is the United Kingdom’s largest forestry conservation charity, and Hallmark UK & Ireland announced a partnership with the group in September 2022. As part of the support agreement, Hallmark is donating 20 pence from each online sale to help protect and restore the UK’s precious woodlands. This initiative, in addition to the £20,000 per year that Hallmark provides to the Woodland Trust, helps a group that owns and cares for more than 1,000 free and public woods across the UK. ♦ 

More Trees, Please!

As we know, trees are critical in the fight against climate change: they “breathe in” CO₂ via photosynthesis and return oxygen to the atmosphere. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, a mature tree takes in 48 pounds of CO₂ in a year! That’s why Hallmark’s Asia team once again grabbed their gloves and shovels last September and got to work planting some trees in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong Grace Youth Camp. ♦

Properly Disposing of E-Waste

Hallmark employees at the company’s U.S. locations staged electronic waste (e-waste) collection events in October 2022 and diverted an estimated 8,700 pounds of computers, fax machines, old printers, and household electronics from landfills. Hallmark’s EARTH (Environmental Awareness, Responsibility & Transparency at Hallmark) employee resource group organized the event to keep e-waste from unnecessarily filling up refuse sites and also to prevent the chemicals and elements that make those electronic devices functional from contaminating soil, groundwater, and streams. ♦