Sustainable and creative: STAEDTLER makes pencils from “Upcycled Wood”
Flower vases made of bottles, wine crates as bookshelves, costumes made from leftover fabric: Upcycling gives old objects and supposedly useless materials a new purpose. It is a creative way of upgrading, saving resources and protecting the environment. STAEDTLER uses this principle to manufacture its pencils from “Upcycled Wood”. In addition to the classic coloured pencils and pencils made from wooden boards, the writing and creative goods manufacturer also produces high-quality pencils from the smallest wood chips in order to make full use of wood as a raw material and thus save resources.
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STAEDTLER Mars GmbH & Co. KG
Inspiration through upcycling
Upcycling recycles residual or waste materials and transforms them into something new. While the original material loses some of its value during recycling or downcycling, it is upgraded during upcycling. “Many people know upcycling from hobby projects, for example when old cans are decorated and turned into colourful pen holders,” says Britta Olsen, Head of Brand & Communications at STAEDTLER. This principle combines creativity with sustainability and served as an inspiration for STAEDTLER’s special production technology. Pencils under the label “Made from Upcycled Wood” are made from wood chips, which are produced as a by-product in the wood industry. “Even the smallest wood residues find a new purpose,” says Britta Olsen.
Resource-saving pencils made from wood chips
STAEDTLER processes wood chips for pencils “Made from Upcycled Wood”, which are produced during sawing and planing processes in the German wood industry. These are ground and turned into high-quality pencils in a granulate. This wood comes from PEFC-certified, predominantly German forests (PEFC/04-31-1227), which are managed in an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable manner. All products “Made from Upcycled Wood” are “Made in Germany” - the extraction of wood chips from German sawmills and production therefore takes place in the same country. This keeps transport routes short and saves energy. STAEDTLER also pays particular attention to sustainable production processes beyond the production of pencils “Made from Upcycled Wood”. For example, the writing and creative goods manufacturer has been using 100% green electricity at all German locations since 2021, including for all pencils “Made from Upcycled Wood”.
Efficient use of wood
Wood is the heart of STAEDTLER pencils and coloured pencils – both for the classic wood-cased pencils made from wooden boards and for pencils “Made from Upcycled Wood”, such as Noris colour. "Wood is central to us. That’s why responsible use of this resource is all the more important to us," says Britta Olsen. According to the German Federal Agency for Civic Education almost a third of the world’s land is forested, but the forest population is continuously declining. "For pencils ‘Made from Upcycled Wood’, we need less new raw materials because the wood chips used are a residual product. With this production technology, we can use wood even more efficiently," says Britta Olsen and continues: “It’s in our hands to take responsibility and preserve the environment for future generations.”
High-quality and sustainable
STAEDTLER pencils made from “Upcycled Wood” also provide many years of fun spent colouring and writing: Thanks to the manufacturing process, the pencils are particularly break-resistant– and thus also suitable for young artists. The range of “Upcycled Wood” includes pencils and coloured pencils in numerous colours as well as variations in classic hexagonal or ergonomic triangular shape. This means that children, parents and grandparents can get creative together and sustainably at the art table.
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