James Cropper curates our new playlist for June

After a high-pressure week of meetings, management and making connections, the best way to unwind is to plug in your headphones and allow a superb selection of tunes to take your brain far away from the world of work. Enter the Walpole Weekend Wind-Down: a monthly playlist of tracks created by one of our members or partners that will help you transition into an end-of-week headspace. 

Our June edition has been curated by James Cropper's Head of Projects & Design – Paper & Packaging, Stefan Pryor. James Cropper has been innovating in the world of paper, packaging and advanced materials since the company was established back in 1845, and now incorporates pioneering non-wovens and electrochemical coatings as part of its exceptionally wide offering. This particular playlist has been put together in celebration of the company's latest innovation, Rydal Eco: a superbly versatile uncoated board, made entirely from recycled paper fibres that's perfect for brands who are serious about environmental sustainability.

Rydal Eco delivers a brilliant printing surface with whiteness levels equivalent to virgin fibre material. This provides sharper print, more vivid colours, cleaner die-cutting, and better registration when using finishing techniques such as varnishing and debossing – all without felling a single new tree. The material is produced in alignment with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), supporting companies looking to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. 

Designed with luxury goods in mind, Rydal Eco offers a beautiful tactile feel that makes it ideal for a wide range of applications, while its precision-engineered converting characteristics mean it is compatible with diverse production techniques including lithography, silk screen printing, die stamping, laser cutting, and foil blocking.

"There are so many synergies and connections between the curation of music and paper. For instance, I am sure most musicians began creating their work with ideas jotted down on a sheet of paper, and famous songs were documented by the artist in this way," says Pryor of the tracks he's picked. "If you ever get the pleasure of visiting our paper mill, the gentle hum of the factory and rhythm of the paper machine is almost an instrumental track itself.

"This playlist reflects my choice of tracks to unwind to and those of colleagues across the company."