Product & Materials Information

Small things can have big impacts. Every year over 10 billion plastic pens worldwide are thrown out and end up in landfill. In Australia alone, over 140 million pens are sold annually, with the majority discarded after a single use and ending up as long-term problematic waste. This results in around 700 tonnes or 1100 cu metres of plastic waste being dumped in local government landfill sites across Australia.

Now there's a better alternative: Pens which have less environmental impact as the rigid outer tube or casing is made from 100% recycled paper. (The pen refill is a normal ball-point insert). Help close the recycling loop, by using and reusing recycled products. The recycled pens and pencils in the range come from a variety of manufacturers in the European Community and China.

Another alternative to plastic casings (which are fossil fuel derived) is the use of plastic substitutes. A now widely used plastic substitute is created from Corn. While flexible Cornstarch derivatives are being used worldwide in the packaging and container industries, rigid plastic substitutes are also making their way into a variety of products. The Cornstarch Pens are made in the European Community and China from Mater-Bi and other revolutionary biodegradable materials made from cornstarch. The biodegradability of the pen body can be compared to cardboard when composted, and there are no toxic or metal residues.

Colour and graphite ('lead') pencils are a delight to use and brighten up our lives. Like all products however, their manufacture should take place in an environmentally responsible way. Many pencils sold cheaply in Australia today are encased in rainforest timbers from South-East Asia. Their cost does not reflect the true cost of unsustainable forestry practices. Nor are many of the timbers used truly suitable for pencils - poor sharpening, splintering and breakage are the consequences.

All of the wooden pencils in our range are encased in untreated purpose-grown timber from sustainably-managed forests. No paint or lacquer has been used on the wooden body of the pencils. Colours are high quality, smooth and safe (non-toxic), conforming to stringent European standards. The pencils are easy to sharpen and resist breakage/splintering.

The Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. All forest products carrying the FSC logo have been independently certified as coming from forests that meet internationally recognised FSC Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship, including checking of the chain-of-custody (tracking of the timber to the end user).

Most plastic products and packaging still end up in landfill once they have fulfilled their first use. This wastes the oil used to manufacture the items and pollutes the environment with long-lived waste. One alternative is to collect and sort waste plastic into identical polymer types, so that it can be recycled into useful new products such as outdoor furniture, wood building substitutes, new packaging and even pens and rulers. The recycled plastic pens in our range are made in The European Community and Japan, while the recycled rulers are made in Australia.

Recycled paper bags and calico cloth bags are viable alternatives to the dreaded plastic bag. More than 500 billion plastic bags are used around the world each year, mostly once only,and then discarded in landfill or litter. The paper bags in our range are made in Australia from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, while the calico bags from China are longer-life products, designed for maximum reuse, thereby saving the consumption of hundreds of plastic bags. Note that we don't supply non-woven bags as these are also made from (non-recycled) plastic.

Every year consumers around the world use and throw away hundreds of millions of plastic PET bottles. Today, many of these are collected in recycling schemes, sorted and ground for recycling into rigid plastics such as in car parts, computers, appliances and packaging; but also spun into fibre, yarn and then woven fabric for use in carpets, clothing, bags, lanyards and caps. Recycling PET into these products saves energy, resources and reduces waste compared to the use of virgin fibres derived from oil. It also diverts long-lived PET plastic waste from landfill.

Cotton is a wonderfully versatile, breathable, absorbant, soft fibre of global importance. But the farming, irrigation and pest control practices of conventionally grown cotton are proving devastating for the planet. Gradually a new option is becomming available, with more cotton being grown organically (no pesticides or fungicides) and sometimes without irrigation. Initially available in clothing, towels and bed linen, organic cotton is now being used in a wider variety of fabric applications, including T-shirts and caps. While supplies are still limited, there is no doubt that the spread of organically grown cotton will continue, saving water, soils, energy and preventing chemical pollution.

Seeded paper card is made from 100% recycled handmade paper and contains seeds of callistemon citrinus (Lemon-Scented Bottlebrush) a widespread Australian native. The A4 size paper can be printed for promotions, invitations, special messages and more. Once the message has been read, the receiver can plant the paper and watch it grow! Some of the many seeds in the paper will germinate under the right conditions and the resulting seedlings can be planted in the garden as a constant reminder of the sender of the card.

Packaging

We use environmentally responsible packaging as much as possible. This includes recycled paper packs and tubes, reused and recycled cardboard boxes, reused newsprint and cardboard padding, biodegradable cellophane bags, and recycled brown kraft wrapping paper. We also reuse packaging materials that are sent to us - so sometimes you may find eg bubble wrap or other materials in our cartons. We hope that you give these materials a longer life by reusing them in turn, and recycling what you can't reuse.

At Ecopaper we practice the principles of Avoid - Reduce - Reuse - Recycle throughout our business operations

© Ecopaper Pty Ltd 2005-8. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: Information in this site is supplied in good faith, and is partly sourced from unrelated third parties. No liability is accepted for errors or omissions in information on the site, nor for the results of any actions taken on the basis of the information supplied.

Ecopaper Pty Ltd, suppliers of: Paper Pen | Green Pen | Paper Pencil | Eco Pen | Recycled Paper Pen | FSC Wooden Pen | Colour Pencils | Rainbow Pencils | Recycled Plastic Ruler | Pens and Pencils | Accessories I Recycled Paper Notepads I Recycled Paper Bags and Calico Bags I Seeded Paper I Presentation Folders I Recycled Envelopes I PVC-Free Erasers I Recycled Bookmarks I Recycled Notebooks I Eco Lanyards I Orangic Cotton Bags, Caps, Tshirts I Stress Balls I Environmentally Friendly Promotions and Marketing

Materials

The Products in our range are made from materials such as the following: recycled paper, biodegradable cornstarch, recycled plastic, sustainable and certified timber, organic cotton, bamboo & more. All have at the very least, reduced environmental impact compared to typical conventional products made from wasteful or polluting materials. See our environmental product criteria below.

Ecopaper Products satisfy at least TWO of the following criteria:

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