Faber-Castell launches an international sustainability communication campaign / Gaining global visibility for ecological leadership

Stein - In September, Faber-Castell is launching an international communication campaign about its different mechanisms for sustainable production. This should highlight the company’s sustainability leadership in the industry and make its engagement more visible worldwide: Faber-Castell was the first in the industry to grow its own forests in the mid-1980s. Around 10,000 hectares of pine forest supply the company with its own certified wood for the production of pencils. The forestry business is just one element of a larger and very ambitious sustainability programme that will be the subject of a 360-degree communication campaign to inform consumers about the company’s inter-generational and future-oriented engagement.

Creativity and sustainability as pillars of the Group’s growth strategy

The campaign is called “Change needs creativity.” Because creativity breaks through entrenched thought patterns and shows the new paths that Faber-Castell is taking to address global challenges such as climate change, resource exploitation and threat to ecosystems posed by plastic waste. Living sustainably and unleashing creativity are integral parts of the company’s mission, core values and culture. “The campaign motto reflects the way Faber-Castell sees itself,” says CEO Stefan Leitz. “We are a traditional company that has successfully demonstrated creativity and the courage to change time and again throughout its history. Without ideas, there is no progress. This also applies to the preservation of our planet in all of its beauty and diversity.

The content of the communication programme will be based on the sustainability strategy that Faber-Castell recently laid down as part of a multilateral growth programme for the next five years. The company aims to gain market share worldwide under the motto "One Faber-Castell - creating a colorful future".

So that the world stays the way it is

The company’s sustainability communication not only focuses on strong core media messages but also uses QR-codes to transparently refer to the company’s core goals, strategies and progress reports as part of its annual sustainability reports.

Campaign content will show the way Faber-Castell continues to find creative solutions for sustainable action so that our world stays as colourful as it is. This content will be shared through social and traditional media, as well as through internal company communication channels. In this way, the group wants to show its far-reaching commitment to the protection of natural resources to end consumers, business partners and all of its employees, and to more strongly establish Faber-Castell as a sustainable brand.

Biodiversity, alternative plastics, climate neutrality and renewable energy

The campaign encapsulates four core themes of biodiversity, alternative plastics, climate-neutral production and renewable energy. The topic of biodiversity presents the sustainable forestry in the company’s own pine forest in Brazil: Faber-Castell plants 300,000 saplings every year and covers 86 per cent of its wood requirements from its own, FSC-certificated forests. These forests also absorb 900,000 tonnes of CO₂. One-third of the forest has been returned to its native, wild state since the 1980s and is now home to more than 716 animal and plant species, which includes several endangered species.

Avoiding the use of plastic is another building block in the company’s sustainability communication. With single-use packaging, Faber-Castell is using more and more paper and cardboard instead of plastic. Pen components are increasingly being made from recycled, bio-based or biodegradable plastic. The goal is to increase the proportion of alternative plastics in products to 55% by the business year 2029/30.

Climate-neutral production is the third topic of the campaign. Since 2014, all of Faber-Castell's production plants worldwide are already climate neutral. This is an industry record. Faber-Castell is continuously working on further reducing CO₂ emissions. The transition to renewable energy and increasingly energy-efficient production is expected to further reduce the company’s global CO₂ footprint by 55% by 2029/30 in comparison to 2019/20. This is where the fourth topic in the company’s sustainability activities and communication campaign plays a vital role: Energy. Currently, over 85% of the group’s energy supply comes from renewable sources. With the installation of further solar panels, heat pumps and water turbines in its factories worldwide, we want to cover the energy we need for our production worldwide from our own renewable energy sources as far as possible.

Further high-profile activities are planned as part of the “Change needs creativity.” campaign that will position Faber-Castell as a sustainable company on the international market

Further information: Faber-Castell Sustainability Fact Sheet