Colour and graphite ('lead') pencils are a delight to use and brighten up our lives. Like all products however, their manufacture should take place in an environmentally responsible way. Many pencils sold cheaply in Australia today are encased in rainforest timbers from South-East Asia. Their cost does not reflect the true cost of unsustainable forestry practices. Nor are many of the timbers used truly suitable for pencils – poor sharpening, splintering and breakage are the consequences.
All of the FSC certified wooden pencils in our range are encased in untreated purpose-grown timber from certified forests. No paint or lacquer has been used on the wooden body of the pencils, apart from the all-black pencils. Colours are high quality, smooth and safe (non-toxic), conforming to stringent European standards. The pencils are easy to sharpen and resist breakage/splintering. A range of FSC certified wooden ballpoint and gel pens is also available.
The Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. All forest products carrying the FSC logo have been independently certified as coming from forests that meet internationally recognised FSC Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship, including checking of the chain-of-custody (tracking of the timber to the end user).
