"FSC paper from responsible sources" refers to paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which means the wood pulp used to make it comes from forests managed sustainably, while "FSC supporting responsible forestry" indicates that the product, even if it contains a mix of materials, is part of a company committed to the broader principles of responsible forestry through FSC certification, essentially signifying their support for sustainable practices even if not all materials are 100% FSC-certified; both labels essentially mean the product is linked to responsible forestry practices, but the "supporting responsible forestry" label may include a mix of materials that aren't fully FSC certified, while "responsible sources" implies all the wood pulp is from FSC-certified forests.
I love watching the drama unfold 😅 I recently bought my first Moleskine expanded soft cover because of your channel! So far I’m thrilled with it! I can see myself really settling into it and getting so much use out of it. Looks like I got one with good paper quality too, so that’s exciting! I put an Amazon order in for Moleskine friendly pens too 😂🤓🖊️📓🫶🏻
Moleskine detective! Lol. Im sure Moleskine knows which has the good paper and why, just wish they would stick with that kind of paper. Great video. Thanks for sharing!
If you’re familiar with Tomoe River paper, I’ve learned that there’s so much that can lead to differences in paper! Even something as simple as the the water used to process 😅
@@cassiespaz1oh!! Very interesting! It’s odd as even some Moleskines with same country of origin, same notebook model can still have diff paper quality. 😅
@@SeaweedKisses that would explain it I guess as if they have 2 different mills or paper plants in one country 🤷🏻♀️ like I’m in a rural area and my water is very different from city water. But who even knows haha
You are a genius and I so admire your commitment! And I am so invested in this! I will be anxiously waiting for the ultimate outcome! And yes, they should hire you to help them “fix” their paper! Thanks so much for doing this! 💕
I’ve just checked my moleskine and one of them actually has that “forestry” wording! I haven’t tested it yet, but the possibility of getting a unicorn got me all excited. And I don’t even care about the paper quality that much 😂
I have to admit, I hate Moleskine notebooks. But, your videos on this Moleskine paper rabbit hole are very entertaining. I think I'm a paper snob, because all I use is Midori or Tomoe River with my fountain pens. You go girl!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately I was able to find a few in my collection that this hypothesis didnt work for. :/ I opened my 2025 page a day planner that had the forestry verbiage and got one with the low quality paper this time. My last 2 years I have gotten the ‘unicorn paper’ in my page a day Moleskines. Whomp whomp 😢 (for the record, it had a green sticker) I also found one plain softcover that had a blue sticker and the ‘responsible sources’ verbiage that DID have the good paper. The rest of mine that I still had the tags for seemed to follow the pattern though? There were 2 different limited editions with gray tags that didn’t have the ‘unicorn’ paper, but I would still say they were in the ‘acceptable’ range. They bled a little, but not the tissue paper level bleeding that you can sometimes get from Moleskine paper. I work at a store that sells them though AND we have a package scale for sending out our mail. I'll try to see if I can test the weight differences to see if that one is consistent.
I wonder where moleskine sources their paper. They must source it from different companies because of how inconsistent it is. Either way I’m here for this 😊
I’m not even into journaling and somehow I was recommended your videos a few days ago when the saga began and now I’m all invested in your investigation. I appreciate your commitment to solving the mystery. 🕵🏼♀️Now I want to buy a notebook just to see which one I get. 😊
I checked my old moleskine notebooks. They had “responsible sources” on the tag and were also NOT fountain pen friendly. Thank you for all these vids I’m enjoying this journey with you Hahaa!
This whole video series was “The Moleskine Paper Detective “ by Seaweed Kisses ❤ Thanks for all your investigations of their paper. I have used their notebooks for years and not sure why just like them 😮
Or it could be related to that particular 'batch' of paper that was used to produce the different books. I'm picking the labels were changed at a particular point in time and you have a mixture of old and new labels. Eventually the majority of the old labels will disappear as they get sold and replaced with the new.
This has been the coolest investigation ever. I haven’t found expanded, plain, classic and soft cover. I’m in Canada and can’t find anything online so far. What I don’t get is doesn’t anyone make notebooks with the correct kind of paper in all the sizes we want and need?🤷♀️🤷♀️
I think the label itself means something specific but it could mean when they changed the label design or wording a certain batch has good paper. 😂 loving this moleskine mystery! Thanks for sharing with fellow stationery nerds!
That was AWESOME Michelle‼️ I love all of your videos and you’re so funny and sweet 🎉 Those Benu fountain pens are just beautiful!! I’m going to try and get one for Christmas 🎄 Also, so glad you figured out about the Moleskins and “ the code” ‼️ I’ll be paying more attention when I shop for one. Keep up the good work ❤
The Moleskin Saga! ❤. I’m loving all your Moleskin videos. I purchased a few of the 2024 pocket size during the Amazon sale and the paper is very good. Thanks for sharing all this with us. I’d also love to see where you store your notebooks. I have a shelf in my closet and I do have a collection of several brands. We all share the excitement and the passion you have for journaling and purchasing things that make us happy. ❤❤❤
I’m enjoying this saga. I think it’s something like this. That’s the case with Pen and Gear steno pads (bad paper with recycled content) and their other products (good, fountain pen friendly paper)
I found a site that says "FSC-certified paper is different from recycled paper, as it's typically composed of virgin tree fibers rather than pre- or post-consumer recycled materials (although recycled paper is sometimes also FSC-certified). But when the wood pulp used to make this paper is sourced from a well-managed forest, it can be just as eco-friendly." So it looks like both recycled paper and wood pulp paper can have the FSC label, but they are different. You have probably cracked the code!
I'm so invested in this 😂I have a few fountain pens but lately I just haven't been drawn to them I like to write fast and furious so I'm back to my ballpoints and gel pens for the majority of my writing so I feel like I'm watching from the sidelines.
I think they should put the quality control stickers somewhere outside, visible to the consumers. Or they can just grade their paper themselves and put the information out in the open. They should also price the different quality notebooks accordingly. There are ballpoint pens users out there who don’t care about the paper quality that much. They will be happy having something functional at a much lower price. But at the $30-50 price range, I would expect good paper without any inconsistencies.
Sorry, I have to tell you. I bought two Plain ,which state "Paper | Supporting responsible forestry". They are bleeding very very bad and I can not return them as I wrote them .
So completely ‘responsible forestry” sources are bad paper and the ones that are ‘supporting responsible’ are good paper. So the key word is supporting = good paper! Is that right? Or is there more to it?
@@SeaweedKissesit’s 2025 daily. I’m going to go to the book store and see if I can get expanded with at least mid paper ‘forestry’ one. Wish me luck. 😅 Like you I am crazy curious about moleskine paper myth. I always thought they just don’t have any control over such variations. Now I wonder…🤔
"FSC paper from responsible sources" refers to paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which means the wood pulp used to make it comes from forests managed sustainably, while "FSC supporting responsible forestry" indicates that the product, even if it contains a mix of materials, is part of a company committed to the broader principles of responsible forestry through FSC certification, essentially signifying their support for sustainable practices even if not all materials are 100% FSC-certified; both labels essentially mean the product is linked to responsible forestry practices, but the "supporting responsible forestry" label may include a mix of materials that aren't fully FSC certified, while "responsible sources" implies all the wood pulp is from FSC-certified forests.
This moleskin saga is RIVETING!! 😂
😂 Happy to entertain!
😅😂
I love watching the drama unfold 😅
I recently bought my first Moleskine expanded soft cover because of your channel! So far I’m thrilled with it! I can see myself really settling into it and getting so much use out of it. Looks like I got one with good paper quality too, so that’s exciting! I put an Amazon order in for Moleskine friendly pens too 😂🤓🖊️📓🫶🏻
I'm so glad you like it!! Yay!!🙌 🩷🩷 Happy Journaling!!
Moleskine detective! Lol. Im sure Moleskine knows which has the good paper and why, just wish they would stick with that kind of paper. Great video. Thanks for sharing!
You know what, I bet they do! They just need to stick to the same formula for all factories!
If you’re familiar with Tomoe River paper, I’ve learned that there’s so much that can lead to differences in paper! Even something as simple as the the water used to process 😅
@@cassiespaz1oh!! Very interesting! It’s odd as even some Moleskines with same country of origin, same notebook model can still have diff paper quality. 😅
@@SeaweedKisses that would explain it I guess as if they have 2 different mills or paper plants in one country 🤷🏻♀️ like I’m in a rural area and my water is very different from city water.
But who even knows haha
@@cassiespaz1Ahh! Good point! 🤔🧐
It's been so fun following you on this journey to solve the Moleskine paper mystery.
You are a genius and I so admire your commitment! And I am so invested in this! I will be anxiously waiting for the ultimate outcome! And yes, they should hire you to help them “fix” their paper! Thanks so much for doing this! 💕
I’ve just checked my moleskine and one of them actually has that “forestry” wording! I haven’t tested it yet, but the possibility of getting a unicorn got me all excited.
And I don’t even care about the paper quality that much 😂
I have to admit, I hate Moleskine notebooks. But, your videos on this Moleskine paper rabbit hole are very entertaining. I think I'm a paper snob, because all I use is Midori or Tomoe River with my fountain pens. You go girl!
I am here for this! Clicked on this as soon as I saw the title.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately I was able to find a few in my collection that this hypothesis didnt work for. :/
I opened my 2025 page a day planner that had the forestry verbiage and got one with the low quality paper this time. My last 2 years I have gotten the ‘unicorn paper’ in my page a day Moleskines. Whomp whomp 😢 (for the record, it had a green sticker)
I also found one plain softcover that had a blue sticker and the ‘responsible sources’ verbiage that DID have the good paper.
The rest of mine that I still had the tags for seemed to follow the pattern though? There were 2 different limited editions with gray tags that didn’t have the ‘unicorn’ paper, but I would still say they were in the ‘acceptable’ range. They bled a little, but not the tissue paper level bleeding that you can sometimes get from Moleskine paper.
I work at a store that sells them though AND we have a package scale for sending out our mail. I'll try to see if I can test the weight differences to see if that one is consistent.
I wonder where moleskine sources their paper. They must source it from different companies because of how inconsistent it is. Either way I’m here for this 😊
When I tell you I clicked on this so fast!
Same!
I’m not even into journaling and somehow I was recommended your videos a few days ago when the saga began and now I’m all invested in your investigation. I appreciate your commitment to solving the mystery. 🕵🏼♀️Now I want to buy a notebook just to see which one I get. 😊
I checked my old moleskine notebooks. They had “responsible sources” on the tag and were also NOT fountain pen friendly. Thank you for all these vids I’m enjoying this journey with you Hahaa!
im loving these updates
You go girl Michelle!!!🙌🏻🩷 I wasn’t planning to buy any of Moleskine notebooks but I gotta run to my nearest stationery shop and check them out!
😂 got me INVESTED w this thorough research! 👀🍿🥤😊
This whole video series was “The Moleskine Paper Detective “ by Seaweed Kisses ❤ Thanks for all your investigations of their paper. I have used their notebooks for years and not sure why just like them 😮
Or it could be related to that particular 'batch' of paper that was used to produce the different books. I'm picking the labels were changed at a particular point in time and you have a mixture of old and new labels. Eventually the majority of the old labels will disappear as they get sold and replaced with the new.
This has been the coolest investigation ever. I haven’t found expanded, plain, classic and soft cover. I’m in Canada and can’t find anything online so far. What I don’t get is doesn’t anyone make notebooks with the correct kind of paper in all the sizes we want and need?🤷♀️🤷♀️
I think the label itself means something specific but it could mean when they changed the label design or wording a certain batch has good paper. 😂 loving this moleskine mystery! Thanks for sharing with fellow stationery nerds!
I’m on the edge of my seat!
Yaaaay! So excited to find out the secret! ❤😂
❤❤Hope this helps!!
As a stationery addict, I love these videos. I have a large moleskin daily but no skin in the notebook game but now I am tempted!
Mine says Ecuador and FORESTRY! WOO WHOOO!
This was so interesting! Thanks for all your perseverance and research 🥰💌🖋
I think you solved this mystery!
Love watching you geek out over this Moleskine paper experiment.😋 I have every confidence that you'll figure this thing out. The game's afoot!📗🔍
That was AWESOME Michelle‼️ I love all of your videos and you’re so funny and sweet 🎉 Those Benu fountain pens are just beautiful!! I’m going to try and get one for Christmas 🎄 Also, so glad you figured out about the Moleskins and “ the code” ‼️ I’ll be paying more attention when I shop for one. Keep up the good work ❤
We’re all back…..Oh wow! You’ve cracked it! Do you think “responsible sources” is recycled paper and “responsible forestry” is new original paper?
The Moleskin Saga! ❤. I’m loving all your Moleskin videos. I purchased a few of the 2024 pocket size during the Amazon sale and the paper is very good. Thanks for sharing all this with us. I’d also love to see where you store your notebooks. I have a shelf in my closet and I do have a collection of several brands. We all share the excitement and the passion you have for journaling and purchasing things that make us happy. ❤❤❤
Makes sense that bad paper would be recycled paper.
Yes, that’s the case with Pen and Gear steno pads (bad paper) and their other products (good, fountain pen friendly paper)
I’m enjoying this saga. I think it’s something like this. That’s the case with Pen and Gear steno pads (bad paper with recycled content) and their other products (good, fountain pen friendly paper)
Totally invested in this, Its definitely a thing, thank you!
I found a site that says "FSC-certified paper is different from recycled paper, as it's typically composed of virgin tree fibers rather than pre- or post-consumer recycled materials (although recycled paper is sometimes also FSC-certified). But when the wood pulp used to make this paper is sourced from a well-managed forest, it can be just as eco-friendly." So it looks like both recycled paper and wood pulp paper can have the FSC label, but they are different. You have probably cracked the code!
I'm so invested in this 😂I have a few fountain pens but lately I just haven't been drawn to them I like to write fast and furious so I'm back to my ballpoints and gel pens for the majority of my writing so I feel like I'm watching from the sidelines.
Mine is made in China, with a blue sticker and has a responsible sources wording, and it is very fountain pen friendly 😅
15:49 oh yes Uniball one is definitely my go to for black gel pens! It doesn’t bleed through when many others do and it is very dark.
I feel like the old man from 'Moonstruck'..... "I'm so confused". 😆
😂😂❤ You’re not alone
My 2024-25 moleskine Momoko Sakura weekly says "...forestry..." and is made in China. No bleed through. I think you are on to something.
Now I'm curious which one is the newer version. My guess is forestry is being discontinued
I love it. My favorite is Moleskine.
I think they should put the quality control stickers somewhere outside, visible to the consumers. Or they can just grade their paper themselves and put the information out in the open. They should also price the different quality notebooks accordingly. There are ballpoint pens users out there who don’t care about the paper quality that much. They will be happy having something functional at a much lower price. But at the $30-50 price range, I would expect good paper without any inconsistencies.
Wow! You cracked it!!
Sorry, I have to tell you. I bought two Plain ,which state "Paper | Supporting responsible forestry". They are bleeding very very bad and I can not return them as I wrote them .
Enjoying your moleskine research 😊
Vertical is up and down and horizontal is laying flat.
Oops! Yes, I misspoke there out of sheer excitement 😂
I just got two moleskin grid and I went and looked and I got one of each. I will let you know 😊
Yes, please keep me updated!!
I am partway into this book verification and saw the cuppa coffee… gggrrr.. lol. I want some. Now to watch the rest. ( pray for me people)
So completely ‘responsible forestry” sources are bad paper and the ones that are ‘supporting responsible’ are good paper. So the key word is supporting = good paper! Is that right? Or is there more to it?
It’s a shame that they have no consistency across the range. Surely it’s not that difficult? Other companies manage it.
Sherlock Kisses at it again 😂
Love it ❤
Actually im wondering now if they are actually dupes? Amazon lately has been known for duped items from resellers, so maybe?
No, they’re not dupes. Just inconsistent paper quality. Hopefully, this code will help tip us off
I'm hooked on this conspiracy, but at the same time
I would just buy a better brand 😅
My TJ Maxx has Moleskin notebooks.
Looking at some of your moleskine journals. How do you fluff up your pages?
Whats your pintrest seaweed?
This checks out for me - my nice new Amazon purchase includes "forestry." Made in china but great paper.
Dammit, mine is responsible sources…!
This is like following an exciting detective series. 😁🩷
moleskinne mad scientist ahahahahahh
Can you make a moleskin just for this info!?! Lol this is wild!
I think the only pattern you're uncovering is that of inconsistent paper quality. Interesting though...
You appear to be getting horizontal and vertical mixed up.
Sounds good to me! How would we find these on Amazon?
You could check the back label before opening the plastic wrap
I think you have something here 😏
I really hope so!!🙌
Checked my 2025 daily pocket and it has the 'forestry' word but awful quality, so unfortunately it's not that. Sorry -_-'
I saved my label and it says forestry; yet a bad paper…. 😭 i’m bringing a scale next time.
Oh noooooo!!!! Really?? Which Moleskine was it? Expanded? 😭😭
Same here!
@@SeaweedKissesit’s 2025 daily. I’m going to go to the book store and see if I can get expanded with at least mid paper ‘forestry’ one. Wish me luck. 😅 Like you I am crazy curious about moleskine paper myth. I always thought they just don’t have any control over such variations. Now I wonder…🤔
@@StellaOouexact same here. Just cracked mine open bc I was super excited to see it was the forestry version…. Also got the bad paper this year :/
@@expressof0x nooooo!😭😭
You need medication for notebook drama. 🤣
I really do. Please, send help🤪
@@SeaweedKisses😂