No media budget? No problem! Vancouver-based eco-friendly paper co Hemlock has spruced up its packaging to stand out in offices.

Frogfile Office Essentials, which sources environmentally friendly supplies, and Hemlock Paper enlisted help from socially conscious agency Change Advertising of Vancouver to brainstorm ways to promote Hemlock’s 100% recycled copy paper. Without an ad budget.

‘It’s like Kermit the Frog said: ‘It’s not easy being green,” quips Marc Stoiber, Change’s president.

The lack of money forced them to think outside the box, and, as a result, they homed in on what they saw as a missed opportunity. ‘You see paper reams in the store, and they just have numbers and letters and crap written on them. There’s nothing interesting about them,’ explains Stoiber. ‘We wanted to get the message [that Hemlock is eco-friendly] out in a fun way.’

So, Hemlock’s paper reams are now decorated with green illustrations of tree parts that resemble an evergreen when stacked. And, its boxes are coloured brown to look like tree trunks. As a bonus, the paper wrappers also double as DIY origami trees for bored secretaries to build in their downtime. Stoiber says the effort aims to give people something to look at, something to do, and something to belong to. To address the latter, office employees are encouraged to submit photos of themselves with their origami ‘forests’ to Frogfile for a chance to have the co buy a tree in their name.

Hemlock is currently only available via online orders from Frogfile, so this effort aims to get it noticed around offices. And, when it’s eventually available at retail locations, it’ll certainly stand out from the competition.