Eco-Pens : Articles

New line of pens and mechanical pencils help consumers go green with a majority of components that break down in soil/home compost in about a year?

ATLANTA, May 4, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL) today announced its Paper Mate® brand is bringing innovation to the everyday writing experience and helping consumers go green with the introduction of Paper Mate Biodegradable* – the first widely available line of pens and mechanical pencils made with a majority of biodegradable components, which break down in soil/home compost in about a year.

"The Paper Mate Biodegradable* pen and pencil were developed based on insights that consumers desire simple, affordable ways to incorporate greener practices into everyday activities at school, home or the office," said Bill Mullenix, President ofNewell Rubbermaid's Everyday Writing global business unit. "This is the first line of biodegradable* writing instruments to be widely available to consumers globally. By offering a unique combination of performance and affordability, we're making it easy for consumers to be greener."

The Paper Mate Biodegradable* line is the latest demonstration of Paper Mate's ongoing commitment to the environment. In 2009, the brand launched a line of products made from recycled sources that includes the Paper Mate FlexGrip Ultra® Recycled Ball Point Pen made from 70 percent recycled material, Paper Mate Earth Write® Recycled Pencil made from 100 percent recycled wood and Paper Mate Write Bros.® Recycled Ball Point Pen made from 80 percent recycled material, along with Liquid Paper® DryLine® Grip Recycled Correction Film made from 67 percent recycled material. In addition, Newell Rubbermaid Office Products brands including Paper Mate®, Sharpie® and Expo® this year announced partnerships with TerraCycle™, the upcycling company that finds new ways to repurpose items that would otherwise be thrown away, to create the world's first program to collect and reuse or recycle pens, markers and other writing instruments. These products and programs add up to a robust green offering from the Paper Mate brand.

"Across Newell Rubbermaid businesses and brands, we are continually studying our consumers to help us design and deliver innovative solutions that also offer performance and value," said Lisa King, Vice President of Insights and Innovation for Newell Rubbermaid. "Paper Mate Biodegradable* was developed as a direct result of consumer insights that showed a significant consumer desire for more environmentally conscious products offered at an affordable price."

While refreshing the image of the iconic Paper Mate brand and bringing innovation to the everyday writing category, Paper Mate Biodegradable* continues to provide the smooth writing experience consumers desire. In fact, Paper Mate Biodegradable* pens feature a new writing system that delivers darker, more vibrant lines and greater smoothness than many conventional ball point systems.

Paper Mate Biodegradable* products look and feel like conventional plastic, but their compostable components are a bio-plastic made from plant-derived sugar, an annually renewable resource. When disassembled and placed in yard soil or home compost, they decompose in about a year, increasing compost and reducing waste. Additionally, the products are packaged in 100-percent PVC-free recyclable material.

The Paper Mate Biodegradable* pen is available in black, blue, red or purple ink and retails for approximately $1.70. The mechanical pencil comes in 0.5mm or 0.7mm lead sizes and retails for about $2.70. Both are currently available in the United States and Canada and will be available globally later this year.

For more information about Paper Mate Biodegradable* pens and mechanical pencils, the TerraCycle upcycling program or the full portfolio of Paper Mate green products, visit www.papermate.com.

* The majority of the Paper Mate Biodegradable pen and pencil components biodegrade in soil or home compost in about a year. See disassembly instructions on packaging.

About Newell Rubbermaid

Newell Rubbermaid Inc., an S&P 500 company, is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products with 2009 sales of approximately $5.6 billion and a strong portfolio of brands, including Rubbermaid®, Sharpie®, Graco®, Calphalon®, Irwin®, Lenox®, Levolor®, Paper Mate®, Dymo®, Waterman®, Parker®, Goody®, Technical Concepts™ and Aprica®.

This press release and additional information about Newell Rubbermaid are available on the company's Web site,www.newellrubbermaid.com.

NWL-PR

SOURCE Newell Rubbermaid

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Green Dentistry – Eco-Friendly Patient Giveaways

January 4, 2010 by midwestdental

Creating an eco-friendly green dental practice begins with the new ways you practice dentistry. You can continue that conscious effort by using eco-friendly patient giveaways for dental marketing. Start your marketing campaign by ordering eco-friendly pens branded (labeled) with your practice logo, your website address and telephone number.

Useful and inexpensive product. A branded or imprinted pen is an example of a product that you and your staff will use daily in all areas of your practice. It is inexpensive to purchase which makes it an inexpensive dental patient giveaway. Why not promote your green dental practice by giving patients an eco-friendly pen.

The most beneficial aspect of a dental patient giveaway is retention of interest. Giving your patient a useful and durable item like a pen imprinted with your logo that they can use immediately at home, at work and in their everyday life keeps your practice name in the forefront of their minds. This pen becomes a frequent reminder of your dental practice making the connection with your brand stronger.

There are many eco-friendly pens available in the marketplace all of which can be branded (imprinted) with your logo. A pen is considered eco-friendly because it is made from biodegradable materials or is made from recycled materials. Here are a few examples:

1) Eco-Element by PAPERMATE is produced from renewable resources, is 35% biodegradable, and is refillable. Go to Eco-Pens.com

2) Clic Stic by Bic is made from 67% pre-consumer recycled plastic. Go to Eco-Pens.com

3) Kernel Pen by Spector and Co is made from corn-based plastic which is a renewable, domestic resource and is recyclable.

Make eco-friendly pens part of your 2010 green dental marketing plan. Contact Sharon Kantor Bogetz at Midwest Dental Solutions, LLC for more information on dental marketing and sustained practice growth.

Link to blog: http://midwestdental.wordpress.com/

Article Written June 2009 for e-Zine Publication

Subject: Eco-Friendly Pens - By Whose Standards?

About two months ago I set out to build a web site that had only three pens on it. I wanted each one to be meaningfully eco-friendly in it's own unique way. I ended up finding one pen that is made from pre-consumer recycled plastic, one that is partially biodegradable and one that is made from corn based plastic.

As I've been researching this topic, it's become difficult to define what a true eco pen is. I found a pen made with a paper laminated barrel. Although on the surface it seems like a winner in the eco-race, it didn't make my cut. To me, it feels pretty cheap and I personally wouldn't write with it....so I figured lots of them would end up in the trash which is not a good eco-friendly option.

There are pros and cons to corn plastic construction in terms of the cradle to grave analysis. Purists question whether pre-consumer plastic equates to recycled material. The real benefit of biodegradable plastic can be a mute point in our great community landfills. As I continue to learn more, I'm going to try and represent the best options available and teach about the benefits in ways that help make sense of the many disparate opinions out there.

My current opinion is that if we are supporting initiatives that are directionally correct with decent products, that's a good thing. I believe that we need to support the products that legitimate manufacturers are making - even if they are not perfect yet. If manufacturers sell these products, more and better alternatives will come. If they don't sell, the ink well will dry up.

So, I built my site and now I wait to see if the customers believe the same thing that I do!

Paul Painting

http://www.eco-pens.com