I think it is important to work with suppliers close to home. That way, the climate impact is kept to a minimum. That means that I choose as many suppliers as possible who are located in the Netherlands and who also consider sustainability important. For example, the printer of the art and greeting cards is located in Groningen and prints digitally. That is more sustainable than offset printing because, especially for the small editions that I have printed, much less paper has to be thrown away to make proofs. The printer also supports a number of charities.

The gouache paint comes from Germany. The brand I use, which is also used by gouacheurs (French for gouache artists), is hard to come by in the Netherlands. That's why I order it online.

The other materials I use, I buy in the Netherlands. In some cases they are even available at my local drugstore.

I use many different materials to make my cards and paintings. I have indicated below how sustainable the most important ones are:

• Painting and drawing paper: I paint on thick watercolor paper, because that is where the paint thrives best. Often this paper has a gray color, or another color such as green or blue. Sometimes I can also use recycled (white paper) to make the paintings. To make the sketches I always use recycled paper.
• Gouache paint: Some gouache colours (such as cadmium red and yellow) contain cadmium, which makes the colour of the paint more intense and better covering. Fortunately, the brand I use to make the paintings also offers cadmium-free versions of these colours. The paint is therefore free of harmful substances.
• Card paper: depending on the type of card I use e.g. paper that is bleached without chlorine or made from fully recycled paper. All the paper of my products has at least the FSC quality mark.
• Envelopes: The envelopes are made of paper that is made from 100% agricultural waste. No trees are cut down for this and the production is CO2 neutral.

I sell my products online, which means that the products need to be shipped. The right packaging is important to ensure that your product arrives in good condition. But that also means a lot of packaging material. That is why I ensure that the products are shipped plastic-free, and I use paper and other sustainable materials to pack your order in an environmentally friendly way. For example, the tissue paper has an FSC quality mark and the sealing stickers are printed on water-based ink. The shipping envelope is also designed in such a way that it adapts to the contents. This means that the packaging takes up less space, allowing more to be transported at once.