Innovation

The thing that makes the BioPencil unique is the way it is made, and the ingredients that are used in its production. BioPencil, unlike most pencils, contains only algae, lead and at the end of the pencil, a capsule that contains an aguaymanto seed. The point of this agauyamnto seed is so that once you are done with your pencil, you submerge it in water for 8 hours until the seed is released from its capsule. Then you take the seeds and plant them. After a couple of weeks you have your very own aguaymanto plant, which soon will be full of aguaymanto fruit. This fruit is one of the healthiest superfoods that are full of antioxidants and if consumed regularly can help stabilize glucose levels in the blood.

The Sustainable Development Goals that BioPencil targets are:

Goal 3: Good health and Well-Being: through the consumption of the aguaymanto fruit that is given after the use of the pencil.

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: brought by the employment of social groups that are otherwise forgotten.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: The creation of an innovative product that has a chance of changing the industry.

Goal 12: Responsible Production and Consumption: the production and use of the BioPencil helps the society and the environment.

Goal 14: Life Below Water: The farming of algae increased the amount of fish and biodiversity of the ecosystem.

Goal 15: Life on Land: For every pencil bought and used, a new aguaymanto seed is planted.

Inspiration

Hernan Garrido Lecca, founder of the BioPencil, always questioned pencils and where they came from. Ever since he was a little boy, he thought, "it was unbelievable that millions of trees were being cut down in order to make pencils." And not only was this a complete waste because in the end nobody really ever finishes a pencil, they always end up getting lost or thrown away.

After much thought Hernan used algae produced from his algae farm to create a prototype, and after many tries, he found the perfect way to use algae instead of wood. Once he had created the pencil using the algae, he went further and found a way to utilize the product completely. He did this by adding the aguaymanto seed so that when the pencil was no longer usable, it could be planted in the ground and eventually become a tree. This brings us to the purpose of the BioPencil which is to write, plant, preserve and reforest.

Overall impact

BioPencil is a company that cares about people. Besides job creation, BioPencil also contributes to the preservation and conservation of the marine ecosystem, since these come from the sustainable plantation in charge of the bioremediation of the ecosystem on the Peruvian coast.

One of the main objectives of the company is to promote and cultivate environmental awareness, internationally. BioPencil won the Sylvester Cat Award, given by the Climate Show jury. BioPencil received the award for Sustainability and Innovation in 2019 in Switzerland.

The company also actively participated in the Public Forum 2018 made by the World Trade Organization. It consisted on making the population aware of the importance of trade through sustainable technologies and its impact on the future.

They are not only offering a product in the market, but also contributing to the improvement of the environment by promoting the generation of oxygen on the planet and favoring the protection of our forests, which are considered the main climate controllers on the planet.

At BioPencil, workers make sure to preserve a clean and fresh environment, avoiding the use of machinery and any type of chemical or toxic substance during the production of the pencils.

Business benefit

Since the creation of the patent in 2010, BioPencil has grown to the point that it now has 11 points of sale being present in more than 10 countries. Its main buyers are people committed to the environmental and social cause and large companies such as National Geographic or the UN environment. Despite not using machinery in the process of creation, the manufacturing costs of a BioPencil are higher than those of a conventional pencil, so the price of this product is not competitive with those of other pencils as it is higher. Still, the company takes advantage of economies of scale to reduce unit cost as much as possible. Hernán has six patents, for this reason he expresses that "the source I use to earn money is innovation, everything I do is based on creativity, that is my secret."

Social and environmental benefit

BioPencil is a company primarily concerned with generating environmental and social benefits, focusing on Peru, but also on other parts of the world. The creation of this company has promoted work in the most vulnerable sector of the country, women over 50 years, providing work only to them in the artisanal production of pencils and thus improving the living conditions of many families with few economic resources in that country. In addition, with the cultivation of algae, the ocean has been reforested, getting the fish to return to the Paracas sea area and achieving an income increase of artisanal fishermen by 46% along the Peruvian coast.

On the other hand, through this product, it has been possible to fight the deforestation of trees and the inefficient use of wood. As Hernan Garrido, founder of Biopencil, expressed, “I have no problem on cutting trees if what is going to be done is a piece of furniture that will last you for a long time, but if you only want to make a pencil it seems criminal to me", an opinion that can be also seen through the company's motto: " Why kill a tree when you can give life to one?"

Interview

Hernan Garrido Lecca, Founder