Pens at Greenpicks
Environmentally friendly Pens
We use pens every day, to jot down notes, our thoughts, or create a to-do-lists – so why not use an eco-friendly pen? Pens are not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about sustainability but the reality is when your pen runs out of ink you’re likely to throw it out.
Conventional pens often have a body, a sheath made of plastic. While plastic pen bodies are made from fossil fuels and just end up in landfill for decades/centuries, sustainable pen bodies can be recycled again and are biodegradable in compost environments at the end of their lives.
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The problem is traditional pens are not recyclable. A conventional pen contains various metals, plastics, and chemicals so it can’t be recycled. For the start of school and for everyday office life, Greenpicks recommends sustainable pens.
Ecoconscious Lead Pencils
Pencils are versatile writing tools that are always ready. In addition, for sketching, drawing and making notes a notepad is needed and the idea can be committed to paper. The name lead pencil is somewhat misleading, because the pencil does not contain any lead. A sustainable pencil consists exclusively of natural materials such as wood (often cedar or pine), graphite and clay. The wood for the pencil body comes from sustainable forest management, so eco pencils are labelled with the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) seals.
The best pencil is the one that is biodegradable at the end of its useful life. For this purpose, Sprout has integrated a biodegradable seed capsule (organic seeds!) at the end, from which e.g. basil, dill, chilli, sage, marigolds and even cherry tomatoes can grow. Simply plant in a flower pot with soil or in the garden in a sunny location, water regularly and after a few days organic kitchen herbs will germinate. This way, the pencil does not only become an indispensable writing instrument for everyone, whether at school, at work or during leisure time, but also provides an ecological secondary benefit.
Non-toxic coloured pencils
Children love to colour in pictures in colouring books. Since children tend to put things in their mouths, it is even more important that crayons are made of non-toxic and natural materials. Unvarnished crayons do not contain harmful solvents. They are made of wood from sustainable forestry (FSC® or PEFC certified), which is treated with an environmentally friendly water-based paint technology and contains non-toxic colour pigments. The DIN EN 71 standard prohibits heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury in toys (crayons are considered as such). An ergonomic triangular shape enables a safe and firm grip, and also prevents the coloured pencil from rolling off the desk.
Crayons made from recycled newsprint are even more resource-friendly because no tree needs to be felled for them. Sustainable crayons are not only ecological for the environment, but also safe and harmless for little artists.
Environmentally friendly highlighter
Highlighters are everywhere. In every office. In every home office. In every student's backpack. And for many, these bright, colourful highlighters are not only a good thing, but also necessary when we're working through a lot of text. The good news are that disposable plastic highlighters can be replaced with eco-friendly highlighters – either soft, dry highlighters in eco-certified wood or refillable Eco Highlighters. The barrel and cap are made from renewable raw materials. The refillable wet ink is water-based and solvent-free.
Ecological ballpoint pens
Just to make a note, for a signature or as a promotional gift – ballpoint pens are among the indispensable writing utensils. Replace these plastic pens with pens made from recycled paper. While plastic pens are made from fossil fuels and end up in landfills for decades/centuries, pens made from recycled paper can be recycled and are biodegradable at the end of their life in composting plants.
Ballpoint pens made of bamboo, wood, bioplastic, recycled PET bottles, plastic based on grassland are also sustainable alternatives to plastic pens. According to DIN EN 13432, recyclable bio-based material is biodegradable. ‘Meadow plastic’ is made from naturally renewable raw materials in a CO2-reduced production process and without harmful plasticisers. This plastic is not biodegradable but can be 100% recycled.
So much plastic ends up in landfill after a short use. But most of this plastic can be given a longer life if collected, sorted, and recycled. Pens with a second life are made from recycled plastic based on PET bottles, drinking cups, saving resources, and extending the life of existing plastic polymer. The obtained raw material is used for fountain pens, rollerball, ballpoint pens, school accessories, notebooks, and gym bags.
Replaceable reservoirs are the icing on the cake, allowing the biro body to be used forever.
Natural materials and re-PET for rollerball and fountain pen
At the beginning of school, many children come into contact with a fountain pen for the first time. When writing with a fountain pen, the child must optimise its fine motor skills for a nice typeface, i.e. hold the hand correctly and dose the pressure on the nib correctly. Therefore, writing with a fountain pen is a very sensible activity, which is the basis for fluent writing without being readable three sheets further on because of being pressed through. Later in life, a letter written with a fountain pen or a sweeping signature has a personal touch – a handwritten text is always more personal and significant than a digital message.
Eco-friendly fountain pens and rollerballs are not only made of sustainable materials such as bamboo, olive wood and bioplastic, but also have a refillable ink converter. This makes them a pen for life.
Writing instruments made from recycled resources set new standards. For example, the raw material re-PET is obtained from disposed PET bottles and plastic drinking cups. This can be used to make caps and barrels for rollerballs with ink cartridge, ballpoint pens and fountain pens. Meanwhile, there are complete school starter sets made from re-PET – from pencil cases to notebooks to gym bags. The rollerbal is even more sustainable if it is refillable.
Switch to Eco Pens
Replace broken plastic and metal pens with pens made from recycled paper, biodegradable corn starch, recycled plastic, sustainable bamboo or FSC-certified wood. Making a small change to using recycled paper pens can have a large environmental impact over time. The sustainable range of writing instruments at www.greenpicks.de/en helps with this.
