Glebe Cottage was founded by art college student, Scott Morrish back in 1993 with the intention of supporting his passion for photography. With a plan that barely scraped a "D" in A-level business studies he obtained a small bank loan sufficient to set up an 'office' in his bedroom (of his parent's house - the original Glebe Cottage) and a darkroom in a garden shed.
With the additional support of the Princes Youth Business Trust the first four Glebe Cottage cards were created, featuring images of wild Dartmoor scenes. For the first few years when Scott wasn't in the darkroom, or wandering the moors with his large format camera, he drove around rural Devon selling his cards of local views out of a banana box in the back of his rusty Dhatsun Sunny car.
Sue joined the business in 1996 after leaving university with a degree in English and Anthropology and by her own admission, "knowing nothing about running a card business whatsoever". With their mutual passion for the environment and wild places featured in Scott's photography it was personal conviction, rather than current trends, that led them down the environmental route for the business and it was about this time that Glebe Cottage's first environmental commitment was born, to use only recycled envelopes with their cards.
"We really wanted to understand the environmental impact of how we published our products, so we spent a long time trying to research everything from the types of inks we used, to the bag we packed the card in. It was understanding the issues that prompted us to create the list of 'Eco-commitments' that still determine how we create our products today."
Glebe Cottage now trades as "The Eco-friendly Card Company" and publishes over 400 designs from artists, Scott's photography and a much valued partnership with The Wildlife Trusts, and supplies independent retailers all over the UK.
The Eco-friendly Card shop only sells cards published by Glebe Cottage and enables consumers from across the UK to buy cards, even if they don't have a local stockist. Please contact us to find out if there is a local stockist near you!
Trade customers please visit ecofriendly.cards.