Åland Post highlights the Åland sustainability and environmental work which is coordinated by the barkraft.ax network. Taking the vision of a sustainable, viable and flourishing society as her inspiration, Åland graphic designer and stamp debutante Elin Eriksson has created two personal and hopeful stamps that will be issued as a mini-sheet on 22 September.

The barkraft.ax network was set up in 2016 to coordinate realization and implementation of Åland’s development and sustainability agenda, which is based on the vision “Everyone can flourish in a viable society on the Islands of Peace”. The route to realizing this vision is by means of seven development goals, which include striving for happy people, ecosystems in balance, biological diversity and creating sustainable consumption and production patterns. Åland Post is one of the members of the Bärkraft network.

Graphic designer Elin Eriksson took on the challenge of interpreting the theme on stamps:

“It was tricky to come up with an innovative approach to the theme and not fall back on old clichés relating to future/environment/solidarity, as it’s such a well-worn topic. It just so happened that I was on parental leave with my 1-year-old daughter at the time, so it felt like a natural interpretation of the subject: to think about the next generation and how the world will look to them.

I photographed myself and my daughter in profile, our gazes meeting on the stamps. On the stamp with my profile, a bud can be glimpsed in the background, and the choices I make today will enable that bud to flower in the future. Behind my daughter’s profile the flower can be seen coming into full bloom. I want the stamp design to feel hopeful and to convey a sense of fellowship and warmth,” Elin explains.

My Stamps, personalized stamps from Åland

The release of this year’s mini-sheet means expansion of our online ‘Create your own stamps’ service, with a new stamp template that you can use for creating personalized stamps from Åland. The denomination of the stamps in the mini-sheet is ‘Europa’. In other words, you can use them to send cards and letters from Åland to any European country. My Stamps is a service for private persons and companies that wish to design their own Åland stamps. Order your customized stamps in the Åland Post webshop at alandstamps.com, where you will find various stamp templates from which to choose.

Facts about the issue

Name of issue: My Stamps – Sustainability

Date of issue: 22 September 2023

Artist: Elin Eriksson

Design: Elin Eriksson & Johanna Finne

Edition: 25 000 mini-sheets

Denomination: 8 × Europa (€2.80)

Price FDC: €6.60

Stamp size: 28 × 45 mm

Sheet size: 170 × 95 mm

Paper: 110 g/m2

Perforation: 13 per 2 cm

Process: 4-colour offset

Printer: Cartor Security Printers

Order the mini-sheet and first day cover in the webshop at Åland Post – Åland Stamps (alandstamps.com), by post to Åland Post Stamps, P.O. box 1100, AX-22111 Mariehamn, Åland, Finland, e-mail stamps@alandpost.com or telephone: +358 18 636 639.

Related links:

Create personalized stamps from Åland – Åland Stamps (alandstamps.com)