ASSESSMENT AS OF: JANUARY 2024
HOW TO GET STARTED
- When it's time to buy new pens, skip the standard disposable wrote
- Instead, buy these long-lasting metal pens that use refills
- Find a spot for the pen and a good place for the refills - stock up on different color ink refills so that you can use the pen in new and creative ways
- Will not emit microplastics at the end of life if it gets lost or thrown away
EMBRACE
- This pen body is made of 100% steel which is infinitely recyclable
- The pen body itself will likely last a lifetime or until lost
- Uses standard Parker-style refills which are mostly metal
- Very aesthetically pleasing
AVOID PRODUCT TYPE
Standard Plastic Ball Point Pen
AVOID
- Plastic pens are basically single-use plastic items - why bother with them?
- Pens are often made of mixed materials and cannot be recycled
- Will inevitably wear out and end up in landfill
- Plastic is rarely recycled, and these pens will emit microplastics into waterways
Noteworthy Product Attributes
Inherently NOT disposable. Uses mostly metal cartridges and is designed to last a lifetime. Uses standard Parker cartridges
Overall Sustainability Score - 81 / 100
Score Breakdown
Manufacturing (Score - 5/10) - Not made close to the target market
Distribution (Score - 5/10) - Not made close to the target market
Cost (Score - 5/10) - Costs about 5X what conventional plastic pens cost
Packaging (Score - 9/10) - Mostly cardboard and paperboard
Effectiveness (Score - 10/10) - Good writing pen though supplied initial set of ink cartridges is substandard. Parker refills should make these pens perform better
Lifespan (Score - 10/10) - Will likely last a lifetime with multiple cartridge replacements. Cartridges are almost 100% metal. Most likely to get lost before broken
Fun (Score - 7/10) - Feels much nicer in the hand than plastic pens
Relevance (Score - 10/10) - Well suited for writing and uses a long-standing cartridge format in terms of Parker refills
Disposal (Score - 10/10) - Is infinitely recyclable as all components of the pen outside of the cartridge are metal
Recycling (Score - 5/10) - Infinitely recyclable metal case form factor
