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8 product series made from bio-based plastics
Mineral oil, the raw material for plastic material, is a finite resource and the object of speculation and crises. The extraction of mineral oil is also risky for the environment, e.g. by fracking. For these reasons, we must increasingly look for alternatives and use them for various applications in the coming years.
Pens made from bio-based plastics
Recycled plastics as an alternative
Recycling plastic products and waste is definitely a wise solution to conserve petroleum as a resource and to avoid waste at the same time. Nevertheless, there is not enough recycled plastic to meet the world's demand for plastic. Schneider has been using bio-based plastics for many years and is a pioneer in this field.?Bio-based plastics have the same great properties for writing instruments as conventional plastics and are therefore an equivalent and long-term alternative.
Why does Schneider produce writing instruments made of plastic?
Plastic is a highly versatile material that lends itself well to creating user-specific solutions. Important aspects of writing instruments are high impermeability and good stability to ensure a long product service life, as well as outer surfaces that are pleasant to the touch. Moreover, plastic is a light, cheap material that can be used to make pens that anyone can afford.
What are bio-based plastics?
Bio-based plastics are derived from renewable raw materials (RRM). These include corn starch, sugar cane or beet, vegetable oils such as castor oil and cellulose from cotton or wood. Bio-based plastic is hardly a new invention. The first industrially produced plastic was a bioplastic - celluloid - first made in 1869. The first fossil-fuel-based plastics, which we still use today, were only invented in the early twentieth century. However, as they were cheaper, subsequent developments concentrated on them. Nowadays we know more and therefore the search for sustainable alternatives is inevitable.
Not "in addition" but "instead of"
It was a condition not to create a niche-product but to utilize bio-based plastic for sustainable products suitable for a broad target group. The biobased plastics that have been adapted for our applications can be brilliantly coloured despite the high proportion of renewable resources. To achieve this, we use colourants that have been custom-developed for us and that cover a wide range of colours. Our products made of bio-based plastic thus meet the preferences of a broad target group and are no niche products. An independent certification body, DIN CERTCO, confirms the biobased content of our writing instruments.
The criteria for writing instruments were published in January 2016 by the Federal Environment Agency. The requirements always consider the entire life cycle of the products. After the cartridge rollerball Breeze made of recycled material was the very first writing instrument to be awarded the Blue Angel, the bio-based product series and the Link-It with fineliner, fibre-tip pen and highlighter followed.In order to receive the Blue Angel for writing instruments, resource-saving materials must be used for the product and packaging, among other things. One possibility is to use plastics based on renewable raw materials, such as the bio-based plastics used for the Link-It and the Line-Up. The raw materials from renewable resources must be produced under sustainable conditions and the biobased proportion of the utilised plastics must be at least 60% and certified.The Blue Angel is Germany's oldest and best-known eco-label and enjoys the highest acceptance among public authorities, commercial decision-makers and private consumers.
For more than 40 years it has served as an orientation for sustainable purchasing and guarantees that the products meet high standards of environmental, health and performance characteristics.
