Carousel Calendars Breaks into the US Licencing Market with The New York Botanical Garden

Carousel Calendars is very pleased to announce a new partnership for 2024 with The New York Botanical Garden.

This is an exciting new opportunity for the Exeter-based calendar makers, as it is their first licence taken in the United States, and one that is specifically for the US. They are delighted to be working with such a renowned institution as the NYBG and to use their extensive and historic collection to produce beautiful bespoke products.

As market leaders in plastic-free packaging innovations, Carousel Calendars will be bringing their expertise to produce environmentally friendly products that complement the NYGB’s sustainability commitments.

Carousel Calendars has a wealth of experience not only with dated product but also with florals and botanical content, both photographic and illustrated, having formed partnerships with several similarly eminent horticultural organisations and charities in the UK. They also have experience working with national destinations and tourist locations like the NYBG.  

The range of calendars and diaries will display striking imagery from the NYBG, combined with Carousel Calendars’ spacious grids and layouts.

New Lifestyle Products from Carousel Calendars

New Partnerships and Innovative New Formats for 2024

Guinness 
A new partnership between Carousel Calendars and global brand Guinness, a drink ‘adored on all four corners of the earth’, sees a selection of bespoke products that are sure to appeal to any fans of this historic and unique brand.

Birthdays Calendars – Emma Bridgewater and Jo Grundy
New from Carousel Calendars for 2024 are two very charming perpetual birthday and special occasion calendars, one designed for Emma Bridgewater using her iconic and instantly-recognisable patterns, and one for the National Trust featuring Jo Grundy’s delightful artwork. These products are designed to be used year after year, so all family and friends’ birthdays, special occasions and anniversaries will never be forgotten.

English Heritage 
This comprehensive new collection, offered in a wide variety of formats, is part of a new, exciting partnership between Carousel Calendars and English Heritage, the eminent organisation that seeks to care for historical and notable locations and foster an appreciation of the country’s past. The range showcases beautiful photographs of the country’s famous landmarks and treasures.

A Healthier, Happier 2024

New Wellbeing Calendars from Carousel Calendars

The Happiness Club 
What if you could boost your happiness and feel more uplifted, motivated and inspired every day? The Happiness Club was born out of a passion to achieve this! Carousel Calendars has teamed up with these happiness spreaders to scatter joy even further through a new wall calendar and diary, which combine inspiring artwork and positive quotes with effective prompts and techniques to help people get more out of each day.

Welcome to the New Carousel Calendars Website!

We are pleased to welcome you to the new and improved Carousel Calendars website!

Our new-look website contains all of the information you need about our publishing, distribution and licensing services, as well as in depth details about all of our very important sustainability and environmental commitments.

If you are looking for particular department or staff contact details, please see our Contact page, or use the form on that page to contact us for more general enquiries.

If you are a photographer looking to submit images for consideration of use in our products, you can sign up using the form on this page.

Our new website is designed to be more responsive and easier to navigate, as well as providing more of the information you need to make informed decisions about our products and services, whether you are a brand looking to form a licensing partnership with us, a retailer who distributes our products, or a customer looking for details about how to recycle our calendars and diaries.

Reducing Plastic Usage

Reducing the use of plastics, particularly single-use plastics, is something that all companies need to be looking at. Our products use polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE), both of which are currently accepted in many recycling centres, but our key goal is to reduce the use of packaging entirely. We are working on products that use no plastic packaging, and these 2020-dated titles were launched in January 2019 at the NEC Spring Fair. Titles that will be available as plastic-free will include the new Sea Change title, selected Emma Bridgewater and National Trust products and the WWF Amazing Species wall calendar.

As a further example of our commitment to reducing plastic, for 2020 we removed all plastic from our boxed calendars – doing so resulted in an amazing overall reduction of over 4,000kg, which is about the same weight as three and a half average-sized cars!

Our ultimate aim is to make all of our packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 or earlier.

Ethical Trading

Ethical trading and the environmental performance of the suppliers that we use is something that we care about deeply, and have focused considerable effort on this, seeking to uphold standards as we work on a global scale to produce our products. Our policy is to only work with suppliers that have been through a two-pillar SMETA audit and our own personal audit. The SMETA audit is an expected standard, but it only provides us with a snapshot in time, whereas conducting our own means we can see everything first hand, and in knowing our business well we know what issues and problems to be aware of.

Responsibly Sourced Paper

Paper for 95% of our products is sourced from FSC accredited suppliers. We completed our first timber tracker document in 1996, after the 1995 Plus Group was formed by some key UK high street retailers. It used to be exceedingly hard to get information on paper from the mills and pulp suppliers, but the global acceptance of FSC standards since means that FSC pulp is available in most print centres around the world and there is rarely a reason not to use FSC accredited papers. Our products all bear a label on the back showing their FSC accreditation, and we will seek to add additional information to our products about the sustainability of all that we sell, so customers can always make an informed purchase.

We are committed to doing better in terms of our impact on the environment and are honest about the areas where we need to improve. But through research, trial and error, and listening to feedback from clients and customers, we are hopeful that we can play our part in protecting the future of the planet.

New Products and Ranges for 2021

National Geographic

Carousel Calendars and National Geographic are in their third year of partnership and for 2021 there will be more new titles, new formats, the range will be extended into new countries, including France, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands. An A5 diary and a new 59 X 48cm large scale format will be added to offer fresh and attractive new options. Up to 15 extra titles will join the current range, to offer over 30 different titles in total, focusing on National Geographic’s strong animal and landscape imagery.

National Trust

Continuing their partnership with eminent conservation charity National Trust, for 2021 Carousel Calendars will be extending an already successful range, with the addition of a box desk calendar, A5 diary, midi illustrated diary and two new wall titles, ‘Nature’ and ‘Gardens’ as well as refresh for the popular family organiser. The collection features beautiful photos of National Trust properties, as well as information about their vital work, and it continues to be a popular purchase.

Becky Bettesworth Devon & Cornwall

Becky Bettesworth’s charming seaside art, boasting a style reminiscent of vintage travel posters, has produced some popular products during her partnership with Carousel Calendars. As such, for 2021, the range is expanding further, with the addition of an A4 calendar featuring delightful nostalgic images of Devon and Cornwall. 

Liverpool Memories

Carousel Calendars’ regional range has grown year on year, to now provide the largest regional collection available in the UK. For 2021, their Memories selection is welcoming a new addition, the Liverpool Memories A4 calendar, which showcases wonderfully nostalgic images from the past century, depicting how much – or how little – has changed in the intervening years.

Carousel Calendars’ Plastic Detox

As a company, particularly one in the publishing sector that relies on packaging, paper and plastics, we know we need to do better for the environment. As such, we have been trialling new packaging options for our products, and seeking ways to remove more plastic. The plastic we currently use is polyolefin, which is recyclable, but it is still far better to reduce usage.

For 2020, we have:

• Replaced the outer shrink-wrap on a selection of wall calendars for an easily-recyclable cardboard envelope.
• Removed all plastic on our standard box page-a-day calendars – as far as we know we are the only major publisher to make this move. This has reduced over 4,000kg of plastic – as much as four small cars!
• All our diaries are unpackaged and will remain so.

For 2021:

• We are rolling out an even newer format which removes all product packaging on a significant number of calendars. This removes the packaging all-together and while we realise this increases the risk of damage, it still feels the right thing to do. If this is successful, it paves the way to removing packaging for a very significant percentage of calendars for future years.
• We are changing our mini box page-a-day magnetic calendars and removing all the plastic in the product and packaging.

Such efforts are also important to the brands and organisations that we work with, particularly those with an environmental focus. It is also gaining traction in the calendar industry as a whole, as the two products by us that were awarded at the recent 2019 Calies ceremony were both plastic-free packaged products. These changes are part of an overall wider environmental scheme from Carousel Calendars that seeks to: look at what other materials can be used as packaging, or even removing packaging altogether; continue to work with key partners to develop alternative solutions; and ensure all our plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable.

A Carousel Calendars 2020 Retrospect

The new year is upon us again, but while everyone is saying goodbye to 2019, we’re already looking back on 2020 and working hard on 2021! Our 2021 range of calendars and diaries is already in design with our fantastic studio and product team in Exeter, as well as putting together the brochure for all our published and distributed products for that year. Our range has expanded once again, and it’s quite a daunting task taking on so many products, but it does enable us to offer a selection as comprehensive as possible to suit the needs of our different types of client and their own unique customers.

In terms of numbers, last year we distributed over 1,400 products and 6.5 million units. We distributed for ten other major publishers and approximately 30 smaller publishers.

More Products Than Ever in 2020

To put the range size in perspective, the regional calendars (over 250 titles) require approximately 3,250 images. All these need to be researched and designed and captions written. The spread of the locations needs to be worked out as well as seasonality and caption checks. And even while we are working hard on regionals, we also are developing styles and agreeing covers and styling for all the licensed products with our valued licensing partners and working on the comprehensive range of generic calendars.

2020 has seen us concentrating on environmentally-conscious processes, though while looking at a book we recently published it reminded me that plastic-free packaging isn’t new! The book shows a plastic-free 1963 Colourful Canada calendar, though I cannot claim to have played any part in it. For Carousel Calendars last year, however, for a small range of calendars, we reintroduced plastic-free packaging. It was a small trial and I didn’t know if our customers would fully support the development, but sales were good and for 2021 range we will have another 50 plastic free calendars planned. This is on top of the 30 boxed calendars that are now completely plastic free and all 114 diaries we produce that have no product packaging. Our range of plastic-free packaged calendars and diaries is therefore likely to extend to approximately 200 titles next year.

Our Commitment to the Environment

Other successes from the 2020 range include publishing over 100 exclusive bespoke titles for some of our UK and overseas customers. For our clients, it enables them to have a range entirely designed for their own unique customer base. I also believe many of these ranges of bespoke product will move to plastic free in the coming years.

Plastic isn’t the only environmental issue we know we need to tackle; we still have to work on our energy reduction (along with our carbon footprint reduction) and we also have to  ensure our products are made in factories that, in short, respect the Ethical Trading Initiative, to ensure that they treat all staff fairly. The ETI base code has what I like to refer to as the ‘Nine Key Commandments’ that are basic requirements, whether manufacturing in the UK, Europe or Asia.

Ethical and environmental performances are, and always have been, key issues. As a company, we will update you further in the new year on other developments we are working towards.

Carousel Calendars’ Regional Range is Biggest Ever

Carousel Calendars’ regional range has been extended even further for 2021, offering the largest collection of regional calendars available in the UK.

Covering almost every county, major city and area of interest around England, Wales and Scotland, as well as choice locations in Northern Ireland and Ireland, the range is the most comprehensive for retailers and customers. There are over 250 products available, covering diverse formats including wall, slim, A4, A5, easel and box desk calendars. A4 is by far the most popular of the formats, which has grown year-on-year to over 100 titles; new additions for 2021 in this design include the Lizard Peninsula, the Brecon Beacons, St Ives and Tunbridge Wells, among others.

Our Massive Regional Range

As a special feature, all of the calendars from Carousel Calendars that focus on locations in Wales include dual-language captions and dates for Welsh speakers.

The regional range also involves special collections, such as the ‘Memories’ titles, showcasing historical black and white images of famous towns and cities, showing how much – or how little – has changed in the intervening years. Along with this, Carousel Calendars are continuing a successful licensing partnership with the National Railway Museum, using their archive of beautifully nostalgic poster artwork to create calendars celebrating the heyday of rail travel. These cover major British regions such as the South West, Yorkshire, Wales and North West England, and have proven to be a popular purchase.

A Slice of Home

Regional calendars are a firm favourite with customers, appealing to buyers due to their showcasing familiar sights and favourite locations from where they live. As all regional products come with an envelope included, they also make an ideal gift, bought by those looking to post a little slice of home to friends and family elsewhere. Having been updated to present a more modern, clean and functional look, but still providing the well-loved beautiful photography and helpful location captions, Carousel’s regional calendars are sure to continue their appeal to new and old customers alike.

Sea Change – The Plastic Detox from Carousel Calendars

Currently available from Carousel Calendars is the new 2020-dated ‘Sea Change’ calendar, created in collaboration with the Marine Conservation Society. This leading marine charity is dedicated to protecting the seas around the UK through the creation of well-managed protected areas. As many of us are aware, a particularly hot-button topic at the moment is plastics polluting the oceans, and it is this issue that brought together MCS and Carousel Calendars to create the new product.  

The calendar promotes the work that the organisation does, to spread the message of the dangers to the oceans, and the changes that can be made to combat them. It is packed with information, including statistics that highlight the plight, quotes from famous environmentalists, scientists and advisors, and tips and tasks that provide clear and easy to follow advice on how to reduce reliance on plastics and non-recyclable materials.

Reducing Plastics

With the health of our seas being such an important issue currently, the work of the MSC is more vital than ever, but just recently they were mentioned in the media in conjunction with something more unusual: an image of a giant barrel jellyfish, dwarfing diver Lizzie Daly, photographed by fellow diver Dan Abbot off the coast of Cornwall. The pair were on their final day of Wild Ocean Week, where they had been capturing documentation of marine wildlife all around the UK coasts and raising funds for the Marine Conservation Society, when the giant creature emerged from the gloom. Having originally been in the area to search for blue sharks, spending half an hour with this surprise visitor was an unexpected twist in their marine adventures, and afterwards proved to be very popular with new sites and social media fans across the internet, as well as drawing attention to the variety of life in our seas.

The MCS ‘Sea Change’ calendar is part of Carousel Calendars’ own commitments to reducing plastic waste. For 2020, the calendar company has been trialling a new packaging idea, replacing the outer shrink wrap for an easily-recyclable cardboard envelope, and as a product that is focusing on protecting the environment, the ‘Sea Change’ title was a clear choice for this new initiative. It is one of a select group of similar products that will be available with this new-look packaging.

Environmental Commitments

This change in packaging is part of a wider environmental scheme from Carousel Calendars. Other commitments that the company is pledging include: looking at what other materials can be used as packaging, or even removing packaging altogether; aiming to make all their plastic packaging reusable or recyclable; and removing plastic wherever possible, such as the four-tonne reduction that has come as a result of replacing their box calendar stands with cardboard.  Carousel are proud to be working with the eminent conservation organisation on such an important topic, and hope to continue this successful partnership into 2021 with further educational and informative Marine Conservation Society products.