Pen refill trial launched for Aussie businesses

Pilot Pen Australia has launched an initiative to encourage Australian businesses to refill their pens, in celebration of World Refill Day on 16 June. The global public awareness campaign is designed to accelerate the transition away from single-use plastic and towards reuse systems.

Jarrad Murray, Pilot Pen Australia head of marketing, said Australian businesses are invited to join in the national ‘Don’t bin it, refill it’ trial to help reduce the estimated 2.6 million tonnes of plastic waste thrown into landfill each year.

“The trial will help us understand what office workers are doing with their plastic pens on a day-to-day basis and will help us work towards developing solutions down the track,” Murray said.

All businesses who register for the trial will receive an Eco Pack.

The Eco Pack contains 12 refillable pens, made from recycled materials, in a paper pouch with three refills that can be placed on a desk or workstation.

“We are hoping by placing it in a visible, accessible spot, it will help prompt employees to think before they throw,” Murray said.

Business and commercial waste contributed to around half of all plastic waste in Australia last year, according to the National Waste Report 2022. Just 13% of this was reused, recycled or used for energy recovery — the lowest recovery rate of all types of waste.

Each Eco Pack is made from FSG certified recycled packaging and printed with vegetable-based biodegradable ink, equivalent to 48 pens, representing a 67% reduction in plastic waste compared with 48 individual equivalent pens.

“Recycling has its place; however, refilling is higher up on the waste prevention hierarchy as it’s about avoiding plastic waste by extending the life of a product. We are hoping our initiative will help office workers adopt a ‘refilling’ mindset when it comes to office supplies,” Murray said.