
BRAND STORY
About Blanks
The idea for About Blanks started in 2013 when founder Kjell Betlem came across a pile of old 1940s books at the back of his local library that had been written off. Feeling quite sad that people weren't reading these books anymore, he took them home and made them into beautiful sketchbooks. Before he knew it he'd found himself starting up a business!
The business slowly evolved and moved to new premises in Rotterdam in 2018. Today, About Blanks is still all about re-use and re-purpose. Throughout the whole process it finds ways to work as sustainably as possible, using only FSC certified paper and ensuring any little rubbish produced is recycled.




Using books that otherwise would have been thrown out at some point because nobody reads them anymore, is an important part of working sustainably. Sustainability goes beyond reusing and recycling materials. About Blanks products are made in a social employment facility, where people with a disability or poor job prospects can get paid work and consequently participate in society.