Pilot's BeGreen Line of Recycled Pens
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.30.07
Before the BIC, there was no such thing as the disposable pen, one used a ballpoint with a refill or a fountain pen that you filled with ink, and you never threw your pen away.
However we have all been spoiled and expect to write with cheap disposables, so Pilot has introduced a new line of "same quality, same price" pens made from at least 65% recycled materials, using reprocessed water, and with a recovery program in stores so the dead pens can be returned and reprocessed. Ballpoint pens are refillable.
Still, the pens are collected, shredded, melted into pellets, and reformed into new pens. That is a lot of energy expended on an item that could be designed to be refilled by the owner or the manufacturer. Is this too much to ask? ::BegreeN available in Canada and the UK, we do not know about the USA.
I have been partial to Pilot fineliners for years and have gone through hundreds. Yet a box of leads for my Staedtler mechanical drafting pencils might last five years. I am off to Staples to see what the alternatives are.
You can still get refills for your ballpoints...in fact, I bought Staples' lowest-cost refillables about two years ago (about $4 for a box of a dozen) and I've been refilling them ever since at about $2 for 3 refills. Ditto with my beloved Pilot G2-07's. Look to the end of the pen/pencil row...personally, I wouldn't go any other way!
At least one of the non-ballpoint pens are refillable (see http://www.pilotbegreen.co.uk/begreen_li-rollerball_02.html) so all you need to do is pick those :-) I also love Pilot pens, so I'll be on the lookout for these!
I wrote to them about this a few weeks ago, and they said they will be introducing a few models in the US in the fall, for back-to-school I suppose.
You can't get these Pilot pens at Staples. It refuses to carry them, only explanation being, "They might confuse customers." If you want one, you'll have to go to Grand & Toy or Lyreco.
LA: Wow, you're right, "Grand and Toy, Lyreco, Office Pro, Office Plus, and college and university bookstores. "
You can buy recycled products from www.indexoffice.co.uk
Pilot Begreen will launch in the USA with G-Knock (G2 7mm ink refill) in black blue and red ink and VBall Liquid Ink Roller in 0.5mm extra fine black blue and red ink colors on September 15, 2007. Staples and Office Depot comercial contract sales divisions have both added the items and are only waiting for Pilot to make initial shipment. Their respective retail stores will not carry initially. Both items are 81% recycled content by total weight. Only the ink and the metal pen point are new materials. Pricing is the same on the G-Knock and twenty cents lower on the Vball. You can refill the G-Knock with any Pilot G2 refill in any color or point size as you prefer. I know this cause I work for Pilot Pen.
I learned about these last week, saw that Office Depot had them on their web site and visited the nearest one. None of the BeGreen line was stocked there or at the Wal-Mart and Kroger I shop. Found good selection at reasonable price and ordered online from
http://www.pilotpen-store.com/product_list.asp?SKW=PILGREEN&HDR=BeGreen&
Just picked up a three-pack of G-Knocks at Office Max.
So far, so good!