What type of branded pen is the most sustainable?
What type of branded pen is the most sustainable?
When it comes to pens, there are countless options out there but not to worry, that’s what we’re here for. We won’t go over ALL the pen options out there, for now, we’ll just focus on the sustainable ones.
So, what does sustainable mean? In plain, sustainability means to be able to maintain a certain rate or level. In this case, it’s maintaining ecological impact on the planet. Sustainability comes in many shapes and sizes, and it’s good to recognise which one stands out for you and what message you’re trying to convey.
You can be sustainable in various different ways; choosing items made from recycled materials, items made in the UK or Europe, items produced using a water-saving process, items that are fully recyclable, using factories that produce carbon-neutral green electricity, and many more.
Let’s take a look into all the different sustainable pens and what they mean:
Bamboo
The main benefit of a bamboo pen is that bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on earth making it the most sustainable plant out there, It can grow to full size in just 3-4 months. Another remarkable aspect is that the cultivation of sugar cane for this purpose is completely natural, eliminating the need for pesticides and chemicals during the harvesting process. Bamboo is also incredibly strong as well as biodegradable. Not only that, but bamboo also absorbs 2x more carbon dioxide than trees as well as generating 30% more oxygen than most plants and trees. This all sounds amazing, however, let’s remember that not everything can be made from bamboo, the clip for example.
RPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate)
RPET pens are a great alternative to a standard plastic pen. Considering the material has already gone through the recycling process once, doesn’t mean it can’t go through it again. RPET plastic once recycled, has a lower carbon footprint than the first time non-recycled PET making it a great solution to reducing the overall carbon footprint. RPET is also lighter than many alternative raw materials, meaning a further reduction in carbon emissions.
Bioplastic
Bioplastic pens are (in our eyes) the future when it comes to sustainability in the merchandise world. Let’s go over what bioplastics are, bioplastics are biodegradable materials that come from renewable sources. In this case, the bio pen is made from PLA (polylactic acid), which originates from sugar cane grown through certified cultivation and without genetic modification. It’s worth noting that sugar cane is highly efficient, producing double the amount of raw material per unit of land compared to maize, while also requiring less water.
Wheat straw
Wheat straw plastic is a very good replacement due to its sustainable and biodegradable nature. The natural by-product of wheat production yields wheat straw. Wheat straw is fully biodegradable and recyclable, allowing your pen to be transformed into a new coffee cup, plate, or food container at the end of its life.
Recycled Paper
We have another great option with an FSC recycled paper pen. However, they may feel less premium, and certain parts, like the clip, cannot be made from paper. In this case, the clip is made from wheat straw. Recycled paper products offer significant ecological benefits, but there is still room for improvement in the quality of their production.
What do we think?
We think that there are some amazing eco-friendly options and alternatives for a standard pen and at the end of the day, it does come down to the style you want how eco-friendly and what sort of impact you’d like to make.
Our top choice for this would be the Senator Bio pen range. Bioplastics are fully biodegradable and are made from sugar cane. A factory in Germany produces them exclusively using carbon-neutral green electricity and consistently invests in additional energy-saving measures. Let’s not forget that producing in Europe also means cutting down on harmful transport emissions.
Knowing all that, which option would you choose?