Do you know how big the plastic ball pen industry actually is?
Well, roughly 50 billion plastic ball pens are bought, sold, thrown away or swept in to land fills or oceans every year.
Let’s explore the possibility of NOTE replacing just 1% plastic ball pens in a year via this blog post.
The life cycle of a plastic ball pen begins with Material Extraction, where we source raw materials like petroleum and metals.
Next, in the Manufacturing stage, these materials are transformed into pens through precise processing and assembly techniques, focusing on efficiency.
The metal components like ball and disc are formed using compression and cutting.
The plastic components like the body barrel and refill, are produced through extrusion and injection molding processes.
The Distribution process then takes over, packaging and efficient logistics ensuring the pens reach stores smoothly.
Then comes the stage where the user actually uses the ball pen.
The emphasis is on maximizing each pen’s lifespan and functional period, encouraging a smooth writing experience.
Finally, the Disposal or Recycling stage focuses on end-of-life handling.
The ball point could either be recycled (which rarely happens) or thrown away.
When a ball pen is not responsibly disposed off, it ends up in landfills or oceans, jeopardising life forms and ecosystems.
A plastic ball pen generates a much larger carbon foot print than it seems.
And plastics were responsible for around 3.3% of global emissions.
Petroleum extraction starts the process, releasing significant greenhouse gases.
Next, raw materials are transported to factories.
Here about 90% of a pen’s emissions arise from transforming fossil fuels into plastic.
Although using the pen contributes minimally to its overall emissions.
But the production and disposal processes rack up considerable carbon foot print.
Many of these pens end up in landfills, as not all plastics are recyclable and the recycling process itself generates CO2.
In fact, most plastic ball pens are not recycled.
In 2023, the carbon emissions surpassed 35.8 GtCO2.
That’s a heavy burden for such a small stationery tool!
Every year, millions of new plastic ball pens enter the market.
These pens utilize an array of materials.
Although, these pens are beautiful to the eye.
But this complicates their end-of-life processing.
As a result, recycling or upcycling these pens becomes a daunting task.
Each component, from ink reservoirs to plastic casings, often requires different recycling methods, if they can be recycled at all.
Furthermore, this diversity challenges our efforts to manage waste effectively.
In fact, it turns what could be a straightforward recycling process into a complex puzzle.
At NOTE, creating our biodegradable pens begins with a commitment to sustainability and innovation.
Each pen starts its journey with tightly rolled recycled paper, forming a strong yet entirely biodegradable casing.
This eco-friendly material is sourced from post-industrial waste, ensuring no new trees are cut down.
The ink is housed in a vegetable starch barrier to prevent leakage, maintaining the pen’s functionality without compromising its environmental integrity.
The assembly process involves carefully crafting each component to ensure compatibility and durability, culminating in a writing instrument that not only performs exceptionally but also returns to the earth gracefully.
This meticulous process underscores NOTE’s mission to revolutionize the stationery industry by providing sustainable, high-quality alternatives to traditional plastic pens.
NOTE pens are eco-friendly from tip to clip.
Calculating the carbon footprint of the NOTE pen offers a fascinating glimpse into the environmental impact of everyday objects.
Here’s how it breaks down:
The bamboo used in the cap and clip contributes just a tiny fraction, at about 0.00045 kg of CO2e.
The touch of coconut shell on the cap top adds a similarly modest 0.00028 kg of CO2e.
The bulk of the footprint comes from the recycled paper in the refill, totaling 0.01064 kg of CO2e, while the metal tip of the refill pitches in with a minimal 0.0004 kg of CO2e.
When we tally these up, the total carbon footprint for the NOTE pen is approximately 0.0118 kg CO2e.
It’s worth noting that the biodegradable food coloring and vegetable oil used in the pen’s production are considered negligible in terms of carbon impact, and hence aren’t included in our calculations.
This exercise highlights the pen’s eco-friendly design choices, emphasizing sustainability in its material selection.
The resulting footprint is a testament to the efforts to keep our planet green.
Disclaimer: The above values of carbon footprints are estimated values and only include the carbon footprint in the product phase. These are subject to change depending upon the source and the process used.
Now, for the fun part—let’s do some math (don’t worry, it’s the easy kind).Each year, about 50 billion plastic pens end up in landfills.
However, this number is speculative since no comprehensive research has been conducted on the sustainable sales or disposal of ball pens.
We’ll explore this topic in detail in an upcoming blog post.
Firstly, if 1% of traditional pen users switched to NOTE, that’s 500 million pens.
Since an average pen weighs about 6 grams, we’re looking at preventing 3,000 tons of plastic from ending up in land fills or oceans.
That’s like saying goodbye to 3,000 small cars worth of plastic—each year!
And CO2? We’re talking about an offset of 18,000 tCO2 equivalent.
That’s a lot of breathing space for us and the Earth.
