SHELTON, Conn., Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BIC, a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, announced today that it will take its circular economy journey to the next level and transform the company's approach to plastic, significantly improving its products' environmental footprint and reducing its carbon emissions. The new commitments, part of BIC's "Writing the Future, Together" 2025 Sustainable Development program, encompasses both its packaging and products. Specifically:

• By 2030, BIC aims for 50% non-virgin petroleum plastic for its products, with a goal of 20% by 2025.
• By 2025, 100% of BIC consumer plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

"I am proud that we are taking BIC's circular economy journey to the next level by transforming the way we use plastic," said Gonzalve Bich, Chief Executive Officer of BIC. "BIC has been at the forefront of Sustainability for more than 15 years; it is a core element of everything we do, from how we operate to the products and solutions we bring to consumers. We know shoppers are increasingly looking for more sustainable options and that is what we will continue to deliver. It's our 4R philosophy: reducing the amount of raw materials used to make our products, including as much recycled or alternative materials as possible, making more refillable products, and improving the recyclability of our products and packaging." In 2021, additional new or improved sustainable products will be available across all of BIC's three categories. Watch a brief video about BIC's sustainability journey. These new commitments were announced as part of BIC's new "Horizon" strategy, a comprehensive plan aimed at driving growth and creating increased value by building on BIC's strengths, with an intensified focus on consumer needs and sustainability. Click here to see the press release from the event. This announcement is the latest step BIC has taken to invest in sustainable development. BIC recently joined the Plug & Play network, the largest global innovation platform for startups and corporations, to help accelerate the pace of its sustainable innovation. Prior to that, the company expanded its historical partnership in Europe with TerraCycle to collect and recycle used stationery products in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. Since 2011, BIC and TerraCycle have recycled more than 50 million items in Europe. BIC also updated its Ubicuity outdoor furniture collection, produced from recycled BIC pens and designed for kindergarten and primary school classes, and became a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The five goals BIC is working toward by 2025 through its "Writing the Future, Together" program, which began in 2018, are:

1. Fostering sustainable innovation by improving the environmental and/or societal footprint of its products.
2. Helping combat climate change by aiming for 80% renewable electricity usage with a long-term vision of 100%.
3. Committing to a safe work environment by aiming for zero accidents across all operations.
4. Proactively involving its suppliers to ensure the most secure, innovative, and efficient sourcing.
5. Enhancing lives through education by improving learning conditions for 250 million children, globally.

Read more about the "Writing the Future, Together" program and progress made in 2019. ABOUT BIC BIC is a world leader in stationery, lighters, and shavers. For more than 75 years, the Company has honored the tradition of providing high-quality, affordable products to consumers everywhere. Through this unwavering dedication, BIC has become one of the most recognized brands and is a trademark registered worldwide. Today, BIC products are sold in more than 160 countries around the world and feature iconic brands such as Cello®, Conté®, BIC FlexTM, Lucky Stationery, Made For YOUTM, Soleil®, Tipp-Ex®, Wite-Out®, and more. In 2019, BIC Net Sales were 1,949.4 million euros. The Company is listed on "Euronext Paris," is part of the SBF120 and CAC Mid 60 indexes and is recognized for its commitment to sustainable development and education. It received an A- Leadership score from CDP. For more, visit www.bicworld.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube.

Dr. Meghan McGuire, an assistant professor of English at the University of Lynchburg, has launched “Writers Recycle,” an on-campus initiative to recycle used writing instruments. Through the program, used mechanical and wooden pencils, and pens, markers, highlighters, and their caps will be collected and recycled.   McGuire started the program with a $500 “Green Grant” awarded by Keep Virginia Beautiful in June. Zero-waste boxes, purchased with grant funds, will be placed in the Wilmer Writing Center, Knight-Capron Library, and other high-traffic areas.   The used writing instruments will be sent to TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based waste management company, for recycling.   McGuire would like to see the project become a collaboration between the English and Environmental Science and Sustainability departments and the University’s Sustainability Society.   She also hopes the whole campus community will get onboard. “I hope the entire University community will become involved in this recycling initiative, and I hope it will encourage people to examine other unexpected forms of waste that we can recycle or reuse,” she said.   “My personal goal is to not only recycle these items but to alter my consumer practices to help reduce the waste I produce. For example, I plan to invest in refillable pens.”

If you’re a shopper who evaluates environmental facets of products you purchase, please direct your attention to pens and pencils. Manufacturers are promoting variety of styles that offer eco-friendly features. Some use recycled resources. Others incorporate sustainable alternatives that reduce or eliminate plastic. To folks who are picky-for-the-planet about pens and pencils, we declare, “Write on!” Editor’s note: Earth911 teams up with affiliate marketing partners to help fund our Recycling Directory. If you purchase an item through one of the affiliate links in this post, we will receive a small commission.  

Reducing Plastic

As demand for more sustainable products widens, so does variety, style, and quality of eco-friendly pens, according to Paul and Julie Painting. They own Eco-Pens.com, which sells promotional pens printed with names and logos. Quality is important, Paul Painting says, so their pens are functional, rather than non-valued items easily tossed in the trash. With minimum-required orders, prices of Eco-Pens’ printed pens range from about 60 cents to $3 each, depending on quantity, style selected, and other factors, Paul Painting says. From Eco-Pens.com and other suppliers, intriguing materials used for pen bodies include:

• Wheat straw and wheat husk, such as styles showcased on Eco Promotional Products Inc. The Wheat Straw ballpoint pen’s barrel is made with 45 percent wheat straw, which is leftover material after wheat grains are harvested. “The wheat straw in this pen reduces the amount of plastic used,” explains the website.
• Recycled cardboard, such as Eco-Pen Recycled Cardboard Fineliner Gel Pens on Amazon. “All Eco-Pens are made from 100% recycled plastic and cardboard,” the webpage says.
• Bamboo, such as the Panda Bamboo pen on Eco-Pens.com. The pen has a “bamboo wood barrel and cornstarch clip and tip made with 60% biodegradable materials.”
• Cork, such as the Recycled Cork Barrel Pen sold on Eco-Pens.com.

Recycled Plastic, Paper, & Other Materials

Some writing implements are designed with recycled plastics and other recycled materials. Recycled newspaper is employed for TreeSmart pencils, available on Amazon.   A traditional Sunday newspaper produces about 200 TreeSmart pencils, says Steve Mawdsley of TreeSmart Industries. He explains that TreeSmart tightly rolls newspaper around pencil lead and adheres it with non-toxic glue. “The newspapers dry as hard as cedarwood, so sharpening is easy,” he says. “Since the newspaper is tightly wrapped around the lead, it’s supported much better, resulting in less lead breaking.” Other pens and pencils featuring recycled materials include:

• Pilot B2P refillable gel ink and ballpoint pens are “made from 89% and 83% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.”
• Recycled Tetra Pens, sold on Eco-Pens.com, contain recycled Tetra Pak “and similar food and beverage container materials.”
• Ticonderoga Renew pencils contain recycled wood scraps. “Less wood is used and less waste is created. Pencils are made with 53% pre-consumer recycled wood.”
• Recycled Denim Hex Pencils, available from The Pencil Superstore website, are “100% recycled denim blue jean pencils.”
• Greenciles pencils are made of recycled paper, including newsprint, printer paper, and stationery. “The paper is cleaned, reused, and wrapped around a safe graphite writing core,” says their website.
• Onyx and Green mechanical pencils, available on Amazon. The body of these pencils is made with recycled PET plastic. They ship “packaged in a recycled material package with soy based ink.”

Refillable Whiteboard Markers & Highlighters

Often, highlighters and whiteboard markers are single-use disposable items. Refillable versions from different brands are available, potentially reducing waste. Examples include:

• Refillable Whiteboard Markers from Pilot, made with 91 percent recycled plastic, according to a spokesperson from JetPens online store.
• Pentel Handy-line S Retractable and Refillable Highlighter

Responsible Purchasing, Packaging, & Discarding

In addition to evaluating what pens and pencils are made with, savvy shoppers also think about such facets as quantity, durability, packaging, and disposal. Purchase only what you need. “Do you really need the 10-pack of pens or will one or two pens be enough?,” queries Alex Payne publicist for TerraCycle, which recycles items not usually accepted in household recycling. When you’re done with them, don’t drop pens and pencils into recycling bins, unless you’re sure your recycling service accepts these items. Most facilities can’t process them, even if they’re made with recycled water bottles or newspapers. Due to mixed materials and other factors, pens and pencils are widely regarded as contaminants that interfere with efficient recycling, explained Robert Pickens, a member of Oklahoma Recycling Association. Other tips:

• If possible, request or seek out items with little or no plastic packaging.
• Think about refillable pens, rather than single-use disposable styles.
• Look for manufacturers that offer recycling or take-back programs, Payne recommends.
• Discard pens responsibly so they don’t wind up as litter or ocean pollution.
• TerraCycle offers recycling opportunities for pens. One option is the BIC Stationery Recycling Program, which accepts pens, markers, mechanical pencils, and other eligible items for free.

Feature image by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

BIC has just announced a new partnership with TerraCycle, a company that offers free recycling programs (funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers) for hard-to-recycle waste.   Through the BIC Stationery Recycling Program, U.S.-based consumers are now able to send in “all brands of pens, markers, mechanical pencils, highlighters, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers and paint sets” to be recycled for free. The program also takes the soft, flexible plastic packaging that some writing instruments are packaged in. Customers sign up online and are provided with a prepaid shipping label for the items they want to send in.   “As an added incentive, for every shipment of used stationery products collected and sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn points that can be donated to a school or charitable organization of their choice.”   “Sustainability has always been at BIC’s core,” noted Mary Fox, North American general manager for BIC. “We are thrilled to expand this program to the U.S. from Europe, where we have successfully recycled an astounding 46 million items.”   This is the latest step BIC has taken on to further enhance the sustainability of its products and to minimize its impact on the environment.

Consumers Can Now Recycle Stationery Products and Packaging Nationwide Through TerraCycle.   BIC, a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle® to offer consumers a free and easy way to recycle their fully-used pens, mechanical pencils, markers and other stationery products and parts of packaging nationwide.   As an added incentive, for every shipment of used stationery products collected and sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn points that can be donated to a school or charitable organization of their choice.   “As families spend more time writing, drawing and coloring together, we want to provide them with a responsible way to dispose of their products once they are used. Our collection program with TerraCycle gives consumers a simple way to recycle their writing instruments and art supplies to make a difference in the world,” said Mary Fox, North American General Manager for BIC. “Sustainability has always been at BIC’s core.   We are thrilled to expand this program to the U.S. from Europe, where we have successfully recycled an astounding 46 million items.”   Through the BIC® Stationery Recycling Program, consumers can now send in all brands of pens, markers, mechanical pencils, highlighters, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers and paint sets to be recycled for free.   The program is also collecting the soft, flexible plastic packaging that some writing instruments are packaged in. Participation is easy: sign up on the TerraCycle program page https://www.terracycle.com/bic and mail in the used items using a prepaid shipping label.   Once collected, the waste is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that is remolded to make new recycled products.   The BIC® Stationery Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office or community organization.   “Through this free recycling program, BIC offers consumers the unique opportunity to learn about the value of recycling products they use every day while learning, playing or working that would otherwise end up in landfill,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “We are proud to partner with BIC to offer consumers an easy solution for these typically unrecyclable items.”   This is the latest step BIC has taken on its journey to further enhance the sustainability of its long-lasting products, which are made with the least amount of material, and to minimize its impact on the environment, one of the goals in its 2025 “Writing the Future, Together” program.   BIC and TerraCycle began partnering in 2011 to collect and recycle used stationery products in Europe.   A similar program was launched in Australia and New Zealand last year.   The two organizations have also partnered to promote the circular economy by offering BIC products through LOOP, an e-commerce circular economy platform created by TerraCycle aimed at eliminating waste and reducing dependence on packaging.  

BIC has just announced a new partnership with TerraCycle, a company that offers free recycling programs (funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers) for hard-to-recycle waste.   Through the BIC Stationery Recycling Program, U.S.-based consumers are now able to send in “all brands of pens, markers, mechanical pencils, highlighters, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers and paint sets” to be recycled for free. The program also takes the soft, flexible plastic packaging that some writing instruments are packaged in. Customers sign up online and are provided with a prepaid shipping label for the items they want to send in.   “As an added incentive, for every shipment of used stationery products collected and sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn points that can be donated to a school or charitable organization of their choice.”   “Sustainability has always been at BIC’s core,” noted Mary Fox, North American general manager for BIC. “We are thrilled to expand this program to the U.S. from Europe, where we have successfully recycled an astounding 46 million items.”   This is the latest step BIC has taken on to further enhance the sustainability of its products and to minimize its impact on the environment.  

BIC has partnered with an international recycling company, TerraCycle, to offer consumers a free way to recycle their fully-used pens, mechanical pencils, markers and other stationery products and parts of packaging nationwide.   As an added incentive, for every shipment of used stationery products collected and sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn points that can be donated to a school or charitable organization of their choice.   “As families spend more time writing, drawing and coloring together, we want to provide them with a responsible way to dispose of their products once they are used,” said Mary Fox, North American general manager for BIC. “Our collection program with TerraCycle gives consumers a simple way to recycle their writing instruments and art supplies to make a difference in the world.”   “Sustainability has always been at BIC’s core,” added Fox. “We are thrilled to expand this program to the U.S. from Europe, where we have successfully recycled an astounding 46 million items.”   Through the BIC Stationery Recycling Program, consumers can now send in all brands of pens, markers, mechanical pencils, highlighters, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers and paint sets to be recycled for free. The program is also collecting the soft, flexible plastic packaging that some writing instruments are packaged in. Sign up is on the TerraCycle program page www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/bic and the used items are mailed using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that is remolded to make new recycled products. The program is open to any interested individual, school, office or community organization.   “Through this free recycling program, BIC offers consumers the unique opportunity to learn about the value of recycling products they use every day while learning, playing or working that would otherwise end up in landfill,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “We are proud to partner with BIC to offer consumers an easy solution for these typically unrecyclable items.”   This is the latest step BIC has taken on to further enhance the sustainability of its long-lasting products, which are made with the least amount of material, and to minimize its impact on the environment, one of the goals in its 2025 “Writing the Future, Together” program, an announcement said.   BIC and TerraCycle began partnering in 2011 to collect and recycle used stationery products in Europe. A similar program was launched in Australia and New Zealand last year.   The two organizations have also partnered to promote the circular economy by offering BIC products through LOOP, an e-commerce circular economy platform created by TerraCycle aimed at eliminating waste and reducing dependence on packaging.   For more information, visit www.terracycle.com.  

BIC has partnered with an international recycling company, TerraCycle, to offer consumers a free way to recycle their fully-used pens, mechanical pencils, markers and other stationery products and parts of packaging nationwide.   As an added incentive, for every shipment of used stationery products collected and sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn points that can be donated to a school or charitable organization of their choice.   “As families spend more time writing, drawing and coloring together, we want to provide them with a responsible way to dispose of their products once they are used,” said Mary Fox, North American general manager for BIC. “Our collection program with TerraCycle gives consumers a simple way to recycle their writing instruments and art supplies to make a difference in the world.”   “Sustainability has always been at BIC’s core,” added Fox. “We are thrilled to expand this program to the U.S. from Europe, where we have successfully recycled an astounding 46 million items.”   Through the BIC Stationery Recycling Program, consumers can now send in all brands of pens, markers, mechanical pencils, highlighters, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers and paint sets to be recycled for free. The program is also collecting the soft, flexible plastic packaging that some writing instruments are packaged in. Sign up is on the TerraCycle program page www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/bic and the used items are mailed using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that is remolded to make new recycled products. The program is open to any interested individual, school, office or community organization.   “Through this free recycling program, BIC offers consumers the unique opportunity to learn about the value of recycling products they use every day while learning, playing or working that would otherwise end up in landfill,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “We are proud to partner with BIC to offer consumers an easy solution for these typically unrecyclable items.”   This is the latest step BIC has taken on to further enhance the sustainability of its long-lasting products, which are made with the least amount of material, and to minimize its impact on the environment, one of the goals in its 2025 “Writing the Future, Together” program, an announcement said.   BIC and TerraCycle began partnering in 2011 to collect and recycle used stationery products in Europe. A similar program was launched in Australia and New Zealand last year.   The two organizations have also partnered to promote the circular economy by offering BIC products through LOOP, an e-commerce circular economy platform created by TerraCycle aimed at eliminating waste and reducing dependence on packaging.   For more information, visit www.terracycle.com.

BIC, a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, has partnered with international recycling leader TerraCycle to offer consumers a free and easy way to recycle their fully-used pens, mechanical pencils, markers and other stationery products and parts of packaging nationwide. As an added incentive, for every shipment of used stationery products collected and sent to TerraCycle through this program, collectors earn points that can be donated to a school or charitable organization of their choice, according to a press release.   “As families spend more time writing, drawing and coloring together, we want to provide them with a responsible way to dispose of their products once they are used. Our collection program with TerraCycle gives consumers a simple way to recycle their writing instruments and art supplies to make a difference in the world,” said Mary Fox, North American general manager for BIC. “Sustainability has always been at BIC’s core. We are thrilled to expand this program to the U.S. from Europe, where we have successfully recycled an astounding 46 million items.”   Through the BIC Stationery Recycling Program, consumers can now send in all brands of pens, markers, mechanical pencils, highlighters, glue sticks, watercolor dispensers and paint sets to be recycled for free. The program is also collecting the soft, flexible plastic packaging that some writing instruments are packaged in. Participation is easy: sign up on the TerraCycle program page terracycle.com/bic and mail in the used items using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is cleaned and melted into hard plastic that is remolded to make new recycled products. The BIC Stationery Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office or community organization.   The two organizations have also partnered to promote the circular economy by offering BIC products through LOOP, an e-commerce circular economy platform created by TerraCycle aimed at eliminating waste and reducing dependence on packaging.   For more information, go to terracycle.com.