One head, many ideas
Sustainability at STAEDTLER
Our aim is to handle the resources of our earth with care and foresight. This is why efficiency plays a major role in our philosophy for sustainable action.
We take responsibility.
In our manufacturing processes, in our materials and in the procurement and transport of raw materials.
Efficiency saves resources.
For example, in the production or logistics of our products.
Durable products need to be replaced less often.
That's why we develop our products so that they can be used for as long as possible.
Material innovations
From wood chips to pencils
Made from Upcycled Wood
Thanks to our exceptional production technology, we do not need any wooden boards like in conventional production processes to produce pencils and coloured pencils Made from Upcycled Wood. We use wood chips from sawing and planing processes in the woodworking industry. The grinding and upcycling of these wood chips is characterised by processes. This means that even the smallest wood remains can be reused in high-quality pencils.
Coloured pencils and pencils “Made from Upcycled Wood” now bear the TÜV Rheinland environmental test mark “Green Product Mark Writing Instruments”.
Dry Safe
In order to make our products more durable we developed DRY SAFE technology. Nature served as a role model: Many plants protect their fruits and leaves from drying out with a layer of wax. We have applied this principle to our products. This allows the pens to remain open for days without losing quality.
Sustainability in plastic: pens with recycled housings
STAEDTLER is also breaking new, sustainable ground with regard to plastic products: Step-by-step, we are switching to recycled materials for plastic pens. The housings of our pens, i.e. barrel, cap and end cap, are made of 97% recycled plastic in these models, in accordance with ISO 14021. Many products from the Lumocolor product family are already made from recycled materials. In the future, the housings of the triplus fineliner, the triplus fibre-tip pens and the textsurfer will also be made from recycled plastic.
Eraser made from renewable raw materials
Our efforts to offer more sustainable products extend across all product areas. An excellent example is our eraser, which is made from at least 56% renewable raw materials (EN16785-2). This olive green eraser is phthalate- and latex-free and features a sliding sleeve made from up to 100% natural material from the leftovers of sugarcane harvests. We do not use any plastics in the packaging of this organic eraser. All packaging components are made from 80 % recycled paper.
Our eco+ edition
Our eco+ edition offers a product line with a clear focus on communicating sustainability benefits. It includes particularly sustainable products with innovative environmental benefits in the product, packaging and production categories.
Sustainability means transparency...
... that’s why corresponding pictograms make our sustainability aspects visible. All packaging and materials are marked accordingly.
Production
Packaging
Product feature
Sustainable packaging “Made in Germany”:
We have already achieved this
We no longer really want to use PVC for our packaging. That’s why we have already completely switched to PET.
We want to use more solid cardboard.
Cardboard packaging
Almost 100% of our packaging boxes, such as cases for coloured pencils, have been converted to at least 80% recycled material.
Blister covers
We have switched 100% of our blister covers from PVC to PET. Some parts of the product range have already been converted to solid cardboard or recycled PET.
Plastic cases
Previous plastic cases have been converted to 75% rPET or – where possible – to cardboard packaging.
Production and process innovations
By 2030: renewable energy.
Management certifications
The quality and environmental management system of our production sites in Germany and Peru is globally harmonised and certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
With both certifications, we want to support our sustainable corporate development. Our quality management system is intended to increase our capacity for quality and the satisfaction of our customers; the environmental management system makes important contributions to the ecological pillar of sustainability.
Social responsibility
STAEDTLER provides up to 50,000 euros of support every year to child rights organisations.
We value each other – inside and outside of the STAEDTLER company.
World Kids Colouring Day on 6 May
STAEDTLER initiated World Kids Colouring Day in 2008 and has since called on children all over the world to draw for a good cause every year.
For every picture they draw, we support children’s aid organisations with one euro – making the little artists big helpers who are committed to children in need.
Sedex Member
STAEDTLER has been a member of Sedex since 2022. Sedex, short for Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, is a world-leading organisation that promotes the adherence to and improvement of safe, ethical and sustainable business practices while safeguarding the working conditions of employees throughout the supply chain. In this way, STAEDTLER's own strict standards are once again checked and evaluated by Sedex. The results of the external audits are made available to our customers via the Sedex platform.
Whistleblowing system
If you would like to report severe rule or legal violations, please contact our external whistleblowing system STAEDTLER Integrity Line. It offers employees, customers and business partners the opportunity to provide information about unlawful behavior anonymous and transparent. This information can be used to prevent damage to STAEDTLER and its employees. The system is provided by an external service provider to protect the anonymity of the whistleblower.
Sustainable, certified forestry
Cover up to 70% of the wood requirements ourselves.
Wood is essential for our pencils and coloured pencils.
That’s why protecting and securing this raw material in the long term is important to us.
Sustainable forestry on our own plantation in Ecuador
We set up our own plantation in Ecuador, allowing us to oversee production of the wooden boards used to make our pencils. For this purpose, we selected the tree species according to ecological and economic criteria, adhere to strict environmental standards in the cultivation conditions, take into account the existing flora and fauna and will continue to process the wood ourselves in the future.
Since 2022, the plantation has been FSC™ certified (FSC™ C172764).
The raw material wood
Wood is the very heart of all our pencils and is therefore essential for STAEDTLER. It is therefore a matter of course for us to ensure the sustainable production of this raw material, even outside our own plantation. We already only use wood from sustainable forestry for the production of all wood-cased pencils. We attach great importance to securing resources in the long term. In addition, we keep relevant ecological aspects in mind in our in-house production and supply chain analysis.
All the woods we use are PEFC or FSC™ certified.
Educational support
Encouraging individual skills from an early age.
Ideas and knowledge are central to our future.
That’s why we support even the smallest children in developing their strengths with age-appropriate products.
Early childhood education
With the age-appropriate product concept, we support children in the various phases of their rapid development. Writing, drawing, painting and crafting skills are the foundations for maintaining human cognitive and motor skills. This philosophy is the cornerstone of STAEDTLER, and consequently we give children at all development levels the right pen or pencil.
Our brochure about Sustainability with more information can be downloaded here:
