The

Ecological Footprint of Pencils

Paul Pansini

S t o c k t o n U n i v e r s i t y 2 0 1 6

Pansini 2

Table of Contents

Abstract .............................................................................................................................. 3


Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4


History of the Pencil .......................................................................................................... 4


Main Components of a Pencil ........................................................................................... 6


The Ecological Footprint of Pencils ................................................................................. 9


Indirect Footprint of the Pencil ...................................................................................... 13


Solutions to Utilize in our Everyday Lives ................................................................ 14

Work Cited ...................................................................................................................... 16

Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 18

Pansini 3
Paul Pansini
Environmental Issues (ENVL 4300)
Ecological Footprint Assignment
3/8/16

Abstract

The pencil, a small tool used for writing and drawing for the thousands of

years is actually having a much bigger affect on the environment then anyone ever
thought. Through the processes of harvesting, manufacturing, as well as
transporting the 3 major components of a pencil, which is rubber, wood, and
graphite, the ecological footprint left behind is very impactful on the environment.
When humans carry out these methods, we are responsible for deforestation, air
pollution, water contamination, and the depletion of wildlife. After this, during the
creation of a conventional pencil, harmful pollutants are released into the air,
infiltrated into the soil, and leached into both ground and surface water, from the
manufacturing plants the produce harmful wateses. Unfortunately the pencil has
become a worldwide industry, so the practices that we know are harmful, continue
to go on daily. The major mistake that humans fail to recognize is that a pencil isnt
something that comes from nowhere. It is a product that is manufactured and
distributed all over the world, impacting the environment during every single step.
Fortunately, where humans have gone wrong, can be made right when it comes to
pencils. Through the use of recycled goods, greener products, technology, and

Pansini 4
education, the impacts on the conventional pencil can be lessened, leading to a much
smaller and safer ecological footprint.
Introduction
For hundreds of years the pencil has been one of the most commonly used
tools to write, draw, and perform just about anything else that has to do with
documenting information or making art. It can even be argued that since the time of
the cavemen, cave drawings, which were made with chalky rocks and charred sticks,
their version of a pencil (Pencil 2016), have been one of the most important aspects
of understanding the way of life during that period of time. Since the creation of the
conventional pencil, only subtle modifications have been made, showing us how
well of an invention the pencil truly is. Looking at a pencil from an ecological stand
point, one might think that something as simple a pencil might have little to no effect
on the surrounding environment with a relatively small ecological footprint. But
taking into account the process in which materials for pencils are gathered, how the
actual pencil itself is made, and how both materials, and finished pencils are
transported, one can start to see that a pencil actually has a pretty substantial
ecological footprint.

History of the Pencil

For hundreds of year humans have been using pencils. The earliest form of a

pencil was called a stylus, which was an ancient Roman tool used for writing on
some of the earliest forms of paper. The stylus consisted of a thin metal rod, which
left a light, but readable mark on papyrus, an early form of paper (Pencil History,

Pansini 5
2015). As the stylus continued to evolve, they started using lead, which left a darker
and more readable mark. Today, graphite is what is actually inside of a pencil, even
though many still refer to it as lead. Some of the first graphite deposits ever found
were discovered in the late sixteenth century in Borrowdale, England where the
graphite was used by shepherds to mark their sheep (WorldWatch, 2016). One of
oldest pencils on record was a pencil made of graphite and string. As the graphite
would become worn from continuous use, one would unwrap the string, exposing
more graphite to write with. Today, we use a similar style but instead of using string
and unwrapping, wood and re-sharpening is used.

Eventually, the Borrowdale mine was created which supplied Europe with

graphite for hundreds of years. But as the graphite was continuously mined, it
eventually was totally depleted. In the late eighteenth century, a French chemist
named Nicolas Jacques Conte discovered that when powdered graphite, powdered
clay, and water were mixed, molded, and baked, the finished product wrote as smoothly
as pure graphite (Pencil, 2016). This was a huge breakthrough as the amount of graphite
needed to make a pencil was juristically reduced. A couple decades later, in Germany, a
man named Lothar von Faber created a machine to efficiently cut and groove wood to use
for pencils (Pencil, 2016). A very similar method is still used today to make the modern
day pencil.
One of the main reasons why wood is used today is because of the brittleness
and soft makeup of the mineral graphite. Compared to lead, graphite tends to
break much easier, but because of its ability to leave a darker mark then its lead
counterpart, it was preferred over the years and is still used today. Although the

Pansini 6
usage of string was a great example of ingenuity, having a wood holder for the
graphite proved to be the more logical point. The main purpose for covering the
graphite with string was to prevent the user from covering their hands with carbon
(WorldWatch, 2016). By using wood, the user is protected from getting the carbon
on their hands, and the graphite is made stronger, having a protective wood
surrounding. Since the nineteenth century, pencils have been made using wood,
graphite, and later, rubber was added to the top to be used as an eraser.
In the United States, many different mines were set up in the search for
graphite. After the war of 1812 ended English imports, the manufacturing of pencils
began in the U.S. (Pencil, 2016). The first pencil-manufacturing factory was
eventually open in New York City in 1861, which was the beginning of the mass
production of pencils in the United States. Not too long after that, the idea arose of
adding an eraser to the pencil. This can be linked back to a man named Hyman W.
Lipman. The patent was later bought by another man, named Joseph Rechendorfer, in
1872 for a reported $100,000. Today, this conventional pencil design remains on our
shelves all across the United States and according to the WorldWatch Institute, the U.S.
domestic industry of pencils is brings in around $1 billion per year (WorldWatch, 2016).

The Main Components of a Pencil

Picking up your conventional #2 pencil today, you will notice that there are 3
main components that remain constant, no matter what company manufactured it. The 3
components are, the rubber eraser, the wood shell, and of course, the lead which as
we know is actually graphite/clay mix that does the writing. Starting a the top and

Pansini 7
working our way down the pencil, the rubber eraser is component that comes in handy for
anyone who makes a mistake. Although erasers can be made of many different things, the
most common materials used today are rubber, as well as synthetic rubber. Natural rubber
is harvested from no other but the rubber tree. By cutting a thin strip of bark from the
rubber tree a natural form of latex begins to flow. When it starts flowing from the tree, an
anti-coagulating chemical is added which can allow the latex to flow and be collected for
several days (Eraser, 2016). After an ample amount of latex is collected, it is pumped into
a tank truck, and shipped to a rubber manufacturer, which then, proceeds to add a variety
of chemicals and water making the final mixture. After being passed through a series of
rollers, excess water is removed. The final slabs are then packed into bales, weighing
anywhere from 225-250lbs, and shipped out to the next destination (Eraser, 2016).
A more common material that is being used today to make erasers is synthetic
rubber. One of the main reasons why synthetic rubber is more popular is because it does
not need to be harvested like natural rubber. The most common synthetic rubber used in
pencil erasers is called styrene-butadiene rubber, which can be completely made through
a process called emulsion. During this process the two chemicals butadiene and styrene
are added into a reactor with a catalyst and a soap solution (SBR, n.d.a). After they react
and polymerization has taken place, another agent is added to stop the reaction and any
unreacted material is collected and recycled for the next batch (SBR, n.d.a). The reacted
material is then blending with a latex solution that is later coagulated, hot air dried, and
finally shipped as a final product in 75lb bales to its next destination (SBR, n.d.a).
Moving down from the rubber eraser, the next main component seen in almost all
conventional pencils is the wooden surrounding that holds the graphite in place. The most

Pansini 8
common type of wood used to make pencils comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in
California. The California Incense-Cedar is known for being a strong wood, with great
characteristics for pencil manufacturing (Pencil History, 2015). The first step in getting
wood for pencils is cutting the trees. Because many of the first group of trees that are cut
are from old forests, new trees will generally be planted again and allowed to grow for
about 14 years before they are once again logged and sent out for processing on logging
trucks (WorldWatch, 2016). In most cases, the wood is also stained, waxed, and dried
before arriving at the processing factory. This is done to prevent the wood from warping
(Pencil, 2016). When the wood arrives at the processing plant, it is out onto a series of
conveyor belts and are cut almost entirely by machines. After the wood is cut into slabs,
it enters a grooving machine that cuts the grooves into the wood where the lead will go
(Pencil Making Today, 2015). Glue is then added to the two halves of the pencil and
clamped together until completely dried, which after that, allows the next machine called
a shaper, is able to cut the away individual and complete pencils (Pencil Making Today,
2015).
The last and most important part of any pencil is the lead. What many continue
to call lead is actually graphite, a safer and better marking material. Like the material
used to make erasers, graphite can either be found naturally through mining, or made
commercially in factories (Pencil, 2016). In the United States, there is currently no
graphite mining being done anywhere, but in other parts of the world it is still very
popular. This is because graphite is a very abundant form of carbon found in the Earths
crust. Through both open pit mining and underground mining, miners use heavy
machinery and other power equipment including explosions to remove the graphite.

Pansini 9
Although this process is still used in other countries, here in the U.S it is much more
common for manufacturers to make their own graphite in factories rather then import the
mined material from other countries. During the process of making graphite, a mixture of
both clay and graphite is poured into a machine called a billet press that presses the
mixture into a hard and solid cylinder of graphite, which is later inserted into the wooded
surroundings of the pencil (Pencil, 2016). With this process, the graphites concentration
can be controlled and by adding less or more clay, a darker or lighter pencil is made.

The Ecological Footprint of Pencils

From the complex processes of harvesting, manufacturing, and shipping the
materials needed to make a pencil, the ecological footprint left by this simple commodity
is much larger then most people think. First, well start off with the rubber eraser on the
top of the pencil. During the process of converting the latex harvested from rubber trees,
into usable rubber, an extremely large amount of water, chemicals, and energy is used.
Like the large amount of ingredients used to manufacture rubber, a very large amount of
waste is created and discharged. The most common environmental issues that come from
the manufacturing of rubber are wastewater containing chemicals and smell, hazardous
waste, noise, and thermal emission (Environmental Issues Caused by Rubber Industry,
2011). From the waste discharged from rubber manufacturing plants the surface water
around it will have many different problems, which include a high level of biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and suspended solids (SS)
(Environmental Issues Caused by Rubber Industry, 2011). Having a high level of BOD
and COD in the water means that there will be a degraded level of available dissolved

Pansini 10
oxygen in the water for organisms. Having an increased amount of SS in the water can
also affect the amount of dissolved oxygen available because it absorbs more light and
heats up the water and as water becomes warmer, it loses its ability to hold oxygen (TSS,
2005). Another common problem with having a high concentration of SS in water is its
direct impact on wildlife, as consuming these dangerous materials can kill many animals.
Next is the wood that is needed to make the shell of the pencil. This to many, is
the most obvious component of the pencil in having a negative ecological footprint. Since
most conventional pencils are made of wood, there is only one place that the material can
be harvested, trees. When harvesting the California Incense-cedar, a logging company
cuts down entire forests that are called old-growth forests which have been there for
many years (WorldWatch 2016). According to the Sierra Forest Legacy, an organization
that is dedicated to the protection of the Sierra Nevada Forests, logging the Sierra Nevada
forests leads to a significant detrimental impact on the ecological health of these vital
forest systems (Logging Impacts, 2012). When these trees are cut down, much more then
simply losing trees are happening to these forests.
One aspect of the environment that is juristically effected by the loss of trees is
the watershed that surrounds the once forested area. When trees are logged and taken
away, the watershed sees an increase of problems when it comes to stream flow,
sedimentation, and erosion (Logging Impacts, 2012). When getting to log sites, it is very
common that heavy machinery is used to divert streams and rivers to better access the
logging area. By doing so, the natural flow of the stream is entirely changed which
negatively affects the watershed. These machines are also responsible for the erosion on
stream banks as well as increasing the amount of sediments entering the waterways. All

Pansini 11
of these changes to the water affect the survival of fish species, aquatic vegetation, as
well as other species that depend on these things for food to survive.
Like watersheds, another natural part of these forests is affected greatly by
logging. Soils, which are the fundamentally component to growing vegetation, are
severely changed through the process of logging. During the construction of roads, which
are used to transport the logged timber, soil becomes very compacted which restricts root
growth and greatly minimizes the nutrients and water available to vegetation in these
areas (Logging Impacts, 2012). This greatly affects the growing rates for the forests
native plant species, and when the soil is disturbed, it actually promotes invasive plant
species to grow in these areas where native species simply cannot. With an increase of
non-native, invasive species, and a decrease of biodiversity, forests will not be able to
fully recuperate and return to their previous glory.
The last major component that also has a negative ecological footprint is the
graphite used to write. During the both methods of mining used to extract graphite from
the Earth, the release of harmful substances in constant in soil, air, and water. Open pit
mining is one of the most common forms of mining as the target material is excavated
from an open pit (Environmental Risks of Mining, n.d.a). What makes this type of
mining so environmental dangerous is the amount of land that is altered and affected
from making the open pit. When mining, rocks that have been untouched for extremely
long periods of time are exposed, moved, and crushed. When these rocks become
crushed, radioactive elements, asbestos-like minerals, and metallic dust become exposed
that during the separation of the target material, graphite, leach into the surrounding
environment as what is called rock slurries, a mixture of pulverized rock and liquid

Pansini 12
(Environmental Risks of Mining, n.d.a). So if open pit mining is so dangerous to the
environment, why use it? Well the alternate method of underground mining isnt so safe
either.
Underground mining is, well just that. Its a process of mining that uses
underground mine shafts, tunnels, and sometimes elevator-like mechanisms that bring
workers, tools, and of course, target minerals up and down. During the underground
mining process, many contaminants are released in groundwater, due to the mining being
underground. When the groundwater is contaminated, it can pollute the region
surrounding the mine and beyond (Environmental Risks of Mining, n.d.a). Underground
mining also commonly increases the amount sedimentation in nearby rivers due to their
use of hydraulic pumps and suction dredges, used to remove valuable minerals like
graphite. It also makes it very difficult for vegetation to recover in these areas because
valuable, nutrient-rich topsoil is removed (Environmental Risks of Mining, n.d.a). Both
of these mining methods cause an extreme amount of harm to the environment and in
some cases the ecological footprint of these areas can be permanent, as the area cannot
rebound from such destruction.
One thing that sadly ties rubber, wood, and graphite together, are the heavy
machinery used to harvest, extract, and transport all of these materials. Whether its an
excavator used to dig a mine, a feller buncher (yes, thats the real name) used to cut down
trees, or a full size 18-wheeler for transporting, diesel fuel is almost always used. What
makes diesel so harmful to the environment, is the emissions that are released into the air
during its combustion. According to the Maryland Department of the Environment, diesel
exhaust consist of a complex mixture of gases and other fine particles, including

Pansini 13
particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, VOCs, and other
chemicals that are classified as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act (Diesel
Emissions Health and Environmental Effects, n.d.a). When released into the air these
harmful chemicals cause respiratory problems, lung failure, heart attacks, and even death.
As the use of heavy machinery continues, these harmful chemicals are continuously
released into the air, harming whoever breathes that air, whether they choose to be there
or not.

Indirect Footprint of the Pencil

Unfortunately, like most products out there today, the pencil isnt something that
can be used alone. When looking at the different uses for a pencil, like writing and
drawing, there is always another component that leaves its own ecological footprint on
the world. In the case of pencils, this component is paper, a commodity that we take very
much for granted. Like the pencil, paper comes from trees, which need to be cut,
processed, and shipped to many different locations before it even reaches the shelves. Up
to 40% of the entire worlds wood is converted into paper. According to the Bob
Schildgen of the Sierra Club, in 2013 alone, about 20,700,000 tons of paper was
produced, which takes anywhere from 55 to 110 million trees, and also mentions that in
the United States, only about 53% of that is recycled, sending the rest to take up space
and slowly decompose in landfills (Schildgen, 2014).
What makes this even more dangerous is that even after paper is used and thrown
away, its negative impact on the environment continues (The Environmental Impact of
Paper Production, 2012). When paper finally reaches a landfill, which takes up to 35% of

Pansini 14
all municipal waste, it breaks down slowly and actually releases methane into the air.
When high amounts of methane is released, the characteristics of it that allows it to catch
and hold heat causes a ground-level ozone, which is both bad for human health, and
contributes greatly to global warming (Harris, 2010).

Solutions to Utilize in Our Everyday Lives

What many people fail to realize, or choose to ignore, is that something as simple
as a pencil, can have a huge ecological footprint in the environment around you. What
many also fail to realize is that small changes in the way you live your life can have a
very positive impact on these problems. One solution is the use of mechanical pencils.
Although the plastic materials that make up a mechanical pencil comes with a slew of its
own problems and impacts, the life of it lasts much longer then a conventional wood
pencil. For a responsible adult, using a mechanical pencil can save money, time, and
more importantly, the environment, which as we know, is juristically affected by the
process of making a conventional wood pencil. Another very useful and readily available
replacement for the pencil is a pencil made from recycled materials. As the world
becomes more and more environmentally conscious, companies are starting to use more
recycled material to make their products. Pencil companies such as Tree Smart
Incorporated, Green Earth Office Supply, Greenline Paper Company, Recycled Paper
Supplies, and many more offer great, recycled products including pencils (Rainforest
Relief, 2005). A second method that can be used to cut back on the use of pencils is using
technology to our advantage. Typing instead of writing is a foolproof way to limit the
amount of pencils a person uses. Typing notes can save time, money, trees, energy, and

Pansini 15
many other important aspects in a person's life.
The last, and perhaps most important way to lessen amount of pencils used across
the United States, and the rest of the world, is through education. Teaching children while
they are young about the importance of environmental health and showing them how
everyday items such as a simple pencil can affect their surroundings can greatly change
the way they view the world. If students are more environmental conscious when they are
brought up, they may choose to use a mechanical pencil, or even a recycled pencil when
they are in school. To me, education is a key component in not only reducing the use of
pencils, but many other harmful objects in our world today. Over the years, humans have
been the problem, but with the right education, humans in the future can be the change.

Pansini 16

Work Cited

MadeHow. (2016). Pencil. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Pencil.html

Pencils.com. (2015). Pencil History. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from

http://pencils.com/pencil-history/

World Watch Institute. (2016). Life-Cycle Studies: Pencils. Retrieved March 11,
2016, from http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6422

MadeHow. (2016). Eraser. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Eraser.html

Britannica. (n.d.). Styrene: Styrene-butadiene rubber production process.

Retrieved March 11, 2016, from http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art53930/The-flow-diagram-traces-the-emulsion-process-for-manufacturing-styrene

Pencil.com. (2015). Pencil Making Today: How to Make a Pencil in 10 Steps.

Retrieved March 11, 2016, from http://pencils.com/pencil-making-today/

WorldPress. (2011). ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES CAUSED BY RUBBER

INDUSTRY. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from
https://businessimpactenvironment.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/environmentalissues-caused-by-rubber-industry/

North Dakota Dep. of Health. (2005). TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS. Retrieved

March 11, 2016, from
https://www.ndhealth.gov/WQ/SW/Z6_WQ_Standards/WQ_TSS.htm

Pansini 17

Sierra Forest Legacy. (2012). Logging Impacts. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from
http://www.sierraforestlegacy.org/FC_FireForestEcology/FFE_LoggingImpacts.
php

Environmental Risks of Mining. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2016, from

http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/problems/mining.html

Maryland Dep. of the Environment. (n.d.). Diesel Emission Health and

Environmental Effects. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from
http://www.mde.maryland.gov/PROGRAMS/AIR/MOBILESOURCES/DIESELVE
HICLEINFORMATION/HEALTHANDENVIRONMENTALEFFECTS/Pages/index
.aspx

PLANETARK. (2012). PaperCutz 4 Planet Ark. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from
http://papercutz.planetark.org/paper/impact.cfm

Harris, R. (2010). Methane Causes Vicious Cycle In Global Warming. Retrieved

March 11, 2016, from
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122638800

Schildgen / Sierra Club, B. (2014, July 07). How Much Paper Does One Tree
Produce? Retrieved March 11, 2016, from http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/20144-july-august/green-life/how-much-paper-does-one-tree-produce

Rainforest Relief. (2005). Pencils. Retrieved March 11, 2016, from

http://www.rainforestrelief.org/What_to_Avoid_and_Alternatives/Rainforest_Woo
d/What_to_Avoid_What_to_Choose/By_Product/Pencils.html

Pansini 18
Appendix
Figure 1: An area once used for mining, where vegetation cannot fully recover.

Figure 2: A typical diesel-fueled 18-wheeler, used for transporting logs.

Pansini 19
Figure 3: A machine found inside pencil manufacturing plants, used for making the
pencil.

Figure 4: Another diesel- fueled machine called a Feller Buncher, used for cutting down
trees.

Pansini 20
VIDEOS: The first link is to a video that shows the hazards of mining. The second is a
video that shows the effects of deforestation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxF9l6bedZU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvdfqrnvu6Q