Get your business started on a journey of sustainable office products
Cost savings compared to buying individual writing instruments
Barrels made of recycled materials
Recyclable packaging made from FSC™ certified paper
We're on a journey to create a sustainable future.
Globally and locally, there is a collective effort by most to adhere to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). PILOT recognises the importance of the UNSDG. In particular, we have a part to play in helping achieve Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production.
At Pilot Pen Australia, we see the effort being made by businesses and government departments to become more environmentally friendly in their operations. That’s why we’re committed to helping organisations & individuals transition to being a valuable part of a circular economy.
Circularity is built on the conservation and regeneration of natural systems that seek to mimic nature’s circular resource flows. A circular economy integrates these practices and frameworks into modern, industrial, and global supply chains to design out waste and pollution and keep products & materials in use for longer.
At Pilot Pen Australia, we too are on a journey, as we consider both the product lifecycle and circular economy principles when developing products.
Equal to driving km
Equal to plastic bottles
Thanks to our work with Lifecycles Australia, we can help calculate the efforts of a business’ actions by showing you the physical savings in CO2 emissions and plastic reduction that refilling actions have positively impacted the environment.
Thanks to our work with Lifecycles Australia, we can help calculate the efforts of a business’ actions by showing you the physical savings in CO2 emissions and plastic reduction that refilling actions have positively impacted the environment.
PILOT has produced a range of eco-designed pen models which aim to reduce the impacts of handwriting on the environment. One strategy is based on refilling pens with additional cartridges of ink to provide the opportunity to extend the life of the pen body. Lifecycles has developed a calculator following a Life Cycle Assessment approach to quantify the benefits of the eco-designed range. Focus is given to the benefits of refilling pens.
The functional unit for the calculator is one “single pen equivalent” use, which is the writing function supplied by a standard single use pen. When using refillable pens, the impacts of the pen and its refills are divided by the total “single pen equivalent” uses (in the case of three refills this would be divided by 4 total uses).
The method is based on the international standard for LCA (ISO 14044). The following environmental indicators are assessed:
Climate change (kg CO2e)
Plastics reduction (kg plastic)
The study has focused on materials impacts of pens and excludes packaging of pens as this is highly variable depending on packaging configuration to different market segments. All supply chain logistics impacts such as transport to retailer have also been excluded. The savings are calculated by examining the cradle-to-grave impacts of single use pens and subtracting these from a system where a pen is reused with refills multiple times as shown below. The number of refills can be adjusted, but 3 is used as an example.
Material spec sheets for the range of pens were provided to Lifecycles, along with samples of the different pens. All materials were modelled using the global LCA database Ecoinvent (version 3.7.1). Global averages were employed where possible, with Rest-Of-World locations chosen if global was not available in the database.
The calculation excludes packaging of initial pens as this is highly variable.
The calculation assumes users utilise the pens and refill to completion.
All pens and empty refill cartridges are assumed to be disposed to landfill.
To account for recycling impacts, an allocation procedure must be chosen. The allocation procedure splits the environmental benefit of recycling a certain material between recyclable products and products that contain recycled content. Allocation values from PEF Annex C were used. E.g. A material with a 0.2 allocation value will allocate 20% of the recycling benefit to the product containing recycled content, and 80% to the recyclable product. For plastic this allocation factor is 0.5, and for steel, it is 0.2.
Lifecycles is Australia’s most experienced specialist consultancy in sustainability measurement, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the circular economy. We use life cycle approaches to enable businesses and policymakers to understand the full impact of their activities and improve their sustainability performance. Our experienced team has undertaken a diverse range of LCAs for clients across all sectors of the economy.
Pilot Pen Australia is committed to implementing a system that meets the Australian Packaging Covenant guidelines through adopting the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines and promoting product stewardship. For further details please view our latest progress annual report.
Find answers to common questions about PILOT's environmental policy, including sustainable packaging, refills and more.
PILOT BegreeN is a full range of writing instruments made with a minimum of 77% recycled material, reclaimed from manufacturing.
PILOT has crafted a selection of Japanese-made writing instruments designed to be refilled multiple times, ensuring both economic efficiency and sustainable impact, as we aim to extend the lifespan of plastics. Explore the PILOT Refill Finder to discover the perfect refill for your beloved pen.
Pilot Pen Australia is committed to implementing a system that meets the Australian Packaging Covenant guidelines by adopting the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines and promoting product stewardship. For further details please view our latest progress annual report.
To get started on a journey of sustainable office products contact us to learn more and ask about a trial of our new PILOT Eco-pack.
Savings of up to 52%
Barrels made of recycled materials
Recyclable packaging made from FSC™ certified paper
