Are we ever too old for sustainable school supplies?
No! We just get to an age where they become eco-office supplies. But out of all the stationery, there’s only one essential piece that’s mightier than the sword.
The humble eco-friendly pen.
But not every pen is made equal. Often they’re made of plastic (and often lost to who knows where), so there’s room for improvement in making our favorite writing apparatus more planet-friendly.
And that’s what we’ve tried to achieve in this list, focusing on refillable and reusable pens, and pens made of recycled and natural materials.
Now, before the ink runs dry, here’s a couple of standouts.
Our Fave Sustainable Pens We’d Love To Write With
As secondhand is always the most environmentally friendly, we first turn to eBay for vintage fountain pens (preferably refillable) when packing our sustainable backpacks for school or the office.
And if you want to get as close to nature while jotting down sweet nothings, agood company creates their refillable pens from locally sourced natural meadow grass combined with BPA-free plastics.
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Index: Sustainable & Reusable Pens
- agood company Jump to brand
- Lamy Jump to brand
- PILOT Jump to brand
- eBay Jump to brand
- Onyx & Green Jump to brand
agood company
agood company’s Grass Pens
agood company knows we all need a good pen.
But how about a beautiful environmentally friendly pen made from locally sourced natural meadow grass combined with BPA-free plastics?
We know, it sounds almost too good to be real.
These pens can also be refilled with non-toxic blue or black ink for as long as you look after them.
About agood company
The pens are CE-certified and produced in a factory powered by renewable energy (biogas and waste heat).
They ship in recycled and recyclable packaging that contains no superfluous material.
A Good Company partners with WeForest to plant trees in Zambia for every purchase.
Lamy
Lamy’s Pens
Price: $30 to $140
Lamy specializes in fountain pens, refillable by either cartridges or a glass jar.
The fine-point Lamy Safari has a colored plastic body and a black-coated steel nib. An ink window makes it easy to see when it needs refilling.
For something more durable, the Lamy 2000 matte black fountain pen is made from durable brushed stainless steel and black fiberglass. It also has a 14K gold, platinum-coated extra-fine nib.
We wouldn’t suggest giving this one out as an eco-friendly promotional pen, not least because they’re a more expensive option but it’s on display at the Museum of Modern Art!
About Lamy
Lamy pens are made in Germany with excellent workmanship.
To ensure these sustainable pens last forever, all pens have spare parts that can be obtained from specialized retail shops.
For difficult repairs, they have a Service Center to get your pen back into writing condition.
PILOT
PILOT’s Refillable Pen
Price: $165
For fancy eco-friendly ink pens, PILOT offers several sleek, refillable, and retractable fountain pens.
And these Vanishing Point Collection pens are the first of their kind.
They feature rhodium-plated 18K gold, a smooth writing nib (available in medium, broad, and fine), and an elegant gift box that features an ink cartridge and converter for an easy refill.
For those on a budget, PILOT also makes “disposable” fountain pens with refillable cartridges, though one certainly can keep using them over and over.
About PILOT
PILOT is a well-known name in the world of pens.
While they still make their share of disposable plastic pens, they are trying to pen sustainability into their business model with a new recyclable product range.
80% of their pens are now refillable.
Their Japanese and European manufacturing facilities are ISO 14001 certified to have a minimal environmental impact.
eBay
eBay’s Secondhand Pens
Price: $15-$1130
If you’ve dreamed of writing with a Mont Blanc pen, buying secondhand is the most affordable way to get your hands on one of these.
And there’s a very good chance you’ll find a gem like that on the Internet’s unlimited warehouse of used goods: eBay.
Just be sure to refine your search to used refillable pens and see what magic eBay conjures.
About eBay
eBay is greener than you might give the resale giant credit for.
They track and share their environmental footprint and are cutting emissions by using more renewable energy (with an eventual goal of 100%).
In support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, they’ve also increased the number of women employed at eBay, have programs to support small businesses, and support nonprofit organizations.
Onyx & Green
Onyx & Green’s Pen Range
Onyx & Green has all the responsible office supplies—including a few plastic-free pens too.
Their Bamboo Ballpoint Pens are made from, well…bamboo, rubber, and plant-based corn plastic.
While they don’t quite satisfy the demand for plastic-free gel pens, their Retractable Gel Pens come pretty close—because they’re made with corn-based plastic and recycled plastic.
They also have a Retractable Wheat Straw Black Gel Pen and a fancier Bamboo Refillable Blue Gel Pen which can both be easily refilled and used for years.
Their eco-friendly ink for pens is soy-based.
About Onyx & Green
Onyx & Green is a one-stop shop for school supplies.
From recycled newspaper pencils to plant-based glue, everything is made from recycled, natural, and post-consumer materials that will outlast a year in even the messiest middle school locker.
Their packaging is made from recycled materials and their labels are printed with low-impact ink.
Why Invest In Environmentally Friendly Pens?
The answer to this question is simple.
Because in the U.S. alone, more than 1.6 billion disposable pens are sent to landfills annually.
Not only does this equate to pouring fossil fuels down the drain (and into the landfill), but, like other plastic items, they also pose a risk of releasing toxic chemicals as they break down—including microplastics.
While pens are recyclable in theory, they often can’t be.
Ink is considered a contaminant and recycling facilities don’t have the time or resources to disassemble the various parts to be transformed into something new.
If we want to do write by Mother Earth, we should all opt for eco-friendly pens to erase or reduce our carbon pencil-print…
The blog on eco-friendly pens effectively highlights the importance of sustainable alternatives to traditional plastic pens. NOTE’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, as shown through our patented biodegradable refills and zero-plastic designs, aligns perfectly with the need for more responsible writing instruments. 🌍✍️