Ecological Footprint of a Dixon Ticonderoga Pencil

Alexandria Horan and Kevin Mahoney

ENVL 4300

Tait Chirenje

Stockton University
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Abstract

Consumers are often unaware of the impact that the products he or she purchases can have on the

environment. An ecological footprint of a #2 HB Dixon Ticonderoga pencil was created by

analyzing the manufacturing process and environmental impact with a focus on the incensed

cedar wood shaft and graphite lead. The origin of other components of the pencil, the metal

ferrule and eraser, are briefly discussed as is two other products typically used with pencils, a

pencil sharpener and paper. The wood and graphite of a pencil follow similar manufacturing

processes beginning in China and ending in the United States. Heavy machinery, manufacturing,

and transportation of pencil components results in greenhouse gas emissions, reduced carbon

sequestration, contaminated water supplies (suspended sediments and pesticides), ecosystem

destruction, and invasive species introduction. Pencils result in the deforestation of at least

200,000 trees a year and the emission of at least 13 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide a shipment.

The lifespan of a pencil was identified from the manufacturing process to its final resting in a

landfill where it can take the wood shaft of a pencil 13 years to degrade and anywhere between

200 and 500 years for the metal ferrule to degrade. The construction of this footprint is in effort

to increase consumer awareness and promote sustainable shopping.

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Table of Contents

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………....1

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..3-4

Dixon Ticonderoga Pencil Wood

Manufacturing Process………………………………………………………………….4-6

Environmental Impact…………………………………………………………………..6-9

Dixon Ticonderoga Pencil Graphite

Manufacturing Process………………………………………………………………...9-11

Environmental Impact………………………………………………………………..11-12

Other Products used with Pencils……………………………………………………………12-14

Lifespan of a Pencil…………………………………………………………………………..14-15

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………15

References……………………………………………………………………………………16-20

.
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Introduction

The advancement of technology has allowed for incredible movement of goods across

continents and oceans to be used in homes thousands of miles away from a product’s location of

origin. One product used in the United States could have components from all over the globe.

Mining or foresting all those parts, then sending them to be manufactured and then shipped out

as a single product to a store to then be purchased and brought to a home location is a lot of

travel time! It can also mean the consumption of many resources and a heavy environmental

impact for each component of a product. As consumers in a developed country, we use an

awesome amount of products, and while it is overwhelming to consider the ecological footprint

of every part of every item we use, it is insightful to think about this concept for at least one

everyday item.

Pencils have been the writing tool of choice for individuals all over the United States for

decades since their first mass production in Nuremberg, Germany in 1662 (Pencil History, 2016).

Even as pens and mechanical pencils gained popularity, lead pencils maintained their position as

a practical writing tool. The United States imports over 18 million pencils each year (Life-Cycle

Studies: Pencils, 2018) mainly from China. In fact, in 2004, Chinese factories produced 10

billion pencils, which is enough pencils to circle the earth 40 times (Christopher, D., 2007). It is

difficult to determine the lifespan of a pencil once an individual has begun to use it, but it’s safe

it say most pencils end up in the trash long before they have become useless.

When pencils are discussed, there is one image that most people think of, and that is a

yellow #2 HB Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. Even this seemingly simple product can be broken

down into parts including the graphite, wood for the casing, metal ferrule, and the pink eraser.
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By focusing on the graphite and wood casing we were able to create a partial ecological footprint

of the #2 HB Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. Doing this is incredibly important because it increases

consumer awareness on the effects that manufacturing products has on the environment and

stresses the importance of living sustainably in a consumer based nation.

Dixon Ticonderoga Pencil Wood

Manufacturing Process

Dixon Ticonderoga is one of the oldest businesses in the United States with main

manufacturing factories in Versailles, Missouri; Acton Vale, Quebec; Mexico City, Mexico; and

Beijing, China (Dixon Ticonderoga Company, 2018). Dixon Ticonderoga produces nearly half a

billion pencils every year (Dixon Ticonderoga, 2018). The company does not clearly state on the

product’s box where the wood for a #2 HB Dixon Ticonderoga pencil is forested from or what

kind of wood it is, however the company website claims that the yellow pencils are made from

incensed cedar (Dixon Ticonderoga, 2018). On the back of a 24 pack box of these pencils is a

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) seal. PEFC is an “international,

non-profit, non-governmental organization that is dedicated to promoting sustainable forest

management” (PEFC Council Information Register, 2018). This organization certifies that wood

used in a product comes from a sustainably managed forest. At least 70% of the wood used in a

Ticonderoga pencil is from a PEFC-certified forests. The PEFC registration certificate states that

the category of product is sawn wood for pencil slats (PEFC Council Information Register,

2018).

The life of a #2 HB Dixon Ticonderoga pencil begins in a sustainably certified forest in

China or Mexico within the bark of a cedar tree (PEFC Council Information Register, 2018).
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These trees are cut down and driven in trucks to either the manufacturing plant in Beijing or by

ship to the manufacturing plant in Mexico. Here the large cedar logs are sawn into pencil slates

(How a Pencil is Made, 2018). Using another type of large saw, a groove is cut into the slats for

the graphite to be placed. Then glue is applied, the graphite is placed, and another slat goes over

it to make the pencil. The slats are placed through a machine that cuts the pencils. Next, a

lacquering machine paints the wood yellow and the Dixon Ticonderoga name is applied using a

heated metal stamp with paint or foil. The metal ferrule is added to the end along with the pink

eraser (How a Pencil is Made, 2018). Finally the pencils are packaged and either shipped from

China to the United States or driven from Mexico City to the United States.

One of the most obvious resources used in the manufacturing of wood for a Dixon

Ticonderoga pencil is the incense cedar trees (Schmidtlein, R. K., Johanson, D. S., Williamson, I.

A., & Broadbent, M. M., 2018). Forests typically grow for 14 years and then are harvested for

timber, usually resulting in 2,500 pencils per tree (Life-Cycle Studies: Pencils, 2018). If the

United States imports 18 million pencils each year (Life-Cycle Studies: Pencils, 2018) and

typically 2,500 pencils are made from one tree, that means that 7,200 trees are cut down annually

to provide the United States with pencils. Dixon Ticonderoga produces about 500 million pencils

each year (Dixon Ticonderoga, 2018) resulting in the cutting of 200,000 trees each year of

mainly incense cedar and Chinese basswood to supply pencils to all their customers. This means

that there are 200,000 less trees each year absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere so that

the United States has Ticonderoga pencils.

Heavy machinery run by electric and carbon dioxide emitting fuel is needed during the

harvesting of wood to cut down trees and move the large logs onto trucks to be driven to the
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manufacturing plant. It is also needed during the manufacturing process in the factory that cuts

the pencil slats, slices the pencils into a hexagonal shape, cuts a groove down the middle, places

the graphite, separates the pencils, paints the pencils, applies the ferrule and eraser, sharpens the

pencils, packages them, and loads them into trucks. Large trucks are used to carry the logs from

their deforestation in California or China to one of the manufacturing plants and then at the end

of their manufacturing process to stores like Walmart or Target where many consumers will

drive to and from in their cars. Large cargo ships are used to carry the pencils across the ocean

from China to the United States.

The whole manufacturing process of Dixon Ticonderoga pencils use more resources than

the manufacturing of the wood shaft itself. The production of the metal ferrule, the synthetic

rubber eraser (Life-Cycle Studies: Pencils, 2018), plastic packaging for the finished product, and

boxes used to ship the packaged pencils also need to be considered. Also, the glue to hold the

two slats over the graphite, the yellow paint, the metal stamp, and the foil for the name print.

These components themselves have ecological footprints that can be followed around the world!

Environmental Impact

The most obvious environmental impact of the manufacturing of the wood shaft for a

Dixon Ticonderoga begins in the harvesting of cedar wood. If the trees are being replaced as they

are being cut then one could argue that the damage to carbon sequestration rate is mitigated

compared to using a forested area that is not sustainably managed, but there is a larger rate of

carbon absorption by full grown trees versus saplings. Removing trees can also damage the

ecosystem in an area. Eighty percent of plants and animals on the earth live in forests
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(Deforestation and Its Effect on the Planet, 2017) so when trees are chopped down we are taking

away habitat from species potentially resulting in the collapse of a forest ecosystems. Also,

herbicides sprayed over saplings can lead to contamination of waterways around growing forests

(Life-Cycle Studies: Pencils, 2018). This could lead to the build up of nutrients in waterways

resulting in algal blooms that are detrimental to the functioning of native organisms.

The equipment used to cut down trees contributes to the overall air pollution through

emissions and also as a non source pollution (Nonpoint Source: Forestry, 2016). Movement of

forestry equipment can increase that amount of suspended sediments in rivers and lakes that are

near the deforested area. This can be detrimental to the spawning and foraging of aquatic

organisms as it blocks sunlight from reaching parts of the water body (Nonpoint Source:

Forestry, 2016). The fuel that powers the heavy machinery used in deforestation and

transportation burns as the equipment runs and emits carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

(Majewski, 2018), raising the level of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The carbon dioxide emitted

by the consumers that drive to the store to purchase pencils can also be considered in the

ecological footprint of a pencil. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas and most of the

carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes from human activity as emissions by transportation and

industrial processes (Environmental Protection Agency, 2018). Greenhouse gases are harmful

because they trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere, causing an increase in global temperatures. The

combination of removing trees that aid in carbon sequestration, the uptake of carbon in the

atmosphere (Environmental Protection Agency, 2018), and also using heavy equipment that adds

carbon dioxide into the atmosphere makes the logging and transportation of cedar for pencils

exceptionally dangerous for the environment.

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With a manufacturing plant in China, it is likely that Dixon Ticonderoga utilizes large

cargo ships to send pencils into the United States. These large ships impact the environment by

aiding in the transport of foreign species in ballast water. Ballast water is carried in a ship’s

ballast tank to increase stability and balance. Ships fill the tanks with the water around the vessel,

taking on surrounding plants and organisms with it. Then ships release the water with all its

organisms at the landing port, typically thousands of miles away, acting as a taxi service for

invasive species (Ballast Water, 2018). The invasive species typically thrives in the new

ecosystem, consuming resources at alarming rates that the native species can not compete with,

resulting in death in large numbers of the native species (Stopping Ballast Water National

Wildlife Federation, 2018).

Pencil wood that is forested somewhere in China travels some miles by truck to the

manufacturing plant in Beijing. Then it could be driven about 664 miles to a port in Shanghai to

travel by ship about 14,734 miles to the port of Miami and then driven to it’s final destination

approximately 1,233 miles in say, a Walmart store in Galloway, New Jersey. This doesn’t

include the mileage from whatever forest the wood comes from. A pack of pencils could travel

1,897 miles by freight truck and 14,734 miles by cargo ship totaling 16,631 miles traveled. Four

separate trucks would end up driving in total to carry the pencils because 62,000 pounds is too

heavy for one truck (How Much Freight Fits on a Full Truckload?, 2015). Two trucks carrying

31,000 pounds of pencils each (Beijing Fila Dixon Stationery Co., Yao Xin Zhuang Cun Nei Lu,

2018) to the port in China and then two trucks carrying the pencils from the port in Miami to

Galloway, New Jersey results in 9.628 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide emission (Freight

Emissions Calculator., 2018). 9.628 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide emission plus the
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approximate 4 tons from the shipment from the Port of Shanghai to the Port of Miami totals

approximately 13.628 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide to get a 31 ton shipment of pencils to the

united states.

Dixon Ticonderoga Graphite

Manufacturing Process

The standard #2 pencil has a graphite core, but it is not entirely pure graphite. Instead the

core is made up of a combination of wax, clay and graphite, which causes the different variation

of pencils hardness (Numerical Graphite Scale). According to Jonathan Martin, production of

Ticonderoga pencils has been taking place outside of the United States since 2004 because of a

buyout by the Italian company, Fila-Fabbricca Italiana Lapis Ed Affini S.p.A. Some of their

newest factories are located in Asia, Italy, France and Germany. For this review on graphite the

focus will be on the factory located in Italy. Since Dixon Ticonderoga does not list who or where

they get the materials for the graphite cores a few assumptions have to be made. China is

currently the largest producer of graphite in the world (Padhy, 2017), so it is reasonable to

believe this is where Ticonderoga gets their graphite for their pencils. Wyoming holds about

seventy percent of the world's supply of bentonite (Bentonite, 2015), since this is one of the more

common clays used in pencils, and since Dixon has pervious ties in America, it is likely they are

still purchasing bentonite from there while the wax is sourced from Mexico (What is a pencil

made of?). Using this information an ecological footprint from the mines to the stores can be

created.

In China, graphite is open pit mined and processed in onsite factories before being

shipped out. Open pit mining, similar to quarrying, involves drilling or blasting surface minerals
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to liberate large sized graphite flakes which can then be brought up using locomotives or

handpicks and pulled by cart (Stewart, 2017). Once the graphite is brought in to the factory it is

crushed and grinded, screened, and separated by floating (Graphite Beneficiation Process). Acid

leaching with hydrochloric acid can be used to mine high quality graphite (Feng et al., 2016).

Once the graphite has been purified, it is packaged into crates or kegs and shipped out.

Much like graphite bentonite is extracted through surface mining, but instead of open pit

mining it is extracted using a process called backcasting. Backcasting is the process of filling

mining pits during regular mining operations with about thirty inches of topsoil. It is then

reclaimed with heavy machinery like backhoes, scraper loaders, and shale planers (Bentonite,

2015). After mining, the clay is taken for processing which is likely on site or nearby. For

bentonite, it is first stockpiled, crushed and grinded, then dried, and finally packaged (Clay

Processing). Once packaged the clay is ready to make its trip to the processing plant to be made

into pencils.

Wax is the only part of the graphite core that is not mined, but instead grown. The

candelilla plant is regularly used in many industries because of how readily available the wax is

(Hodge and Sineath, 1956). The plant is either grown in a farm and harvested or harvested from

the wild in large bundles, which are then cleaned and prepared for processing (Candelilla Wax).

The plant is immersed in a solution of sulfuric acid and boiling water to remove the wax from the

plant. The wax is separated from the plant and becomes a foam, which is then removed and

cooled in vessels (Candelilla Wax). The solid foam is broken and melted again to remove

sediments, followed by a another cooling, breaking, and melting to be filtered through Fuller
 11

earth, or to be bleached using hydrogen peroxide (Candelilla Wax). After purification the wax is

shipped out to be processed.

The final steps for each of these materials is to be combined into the graphite mixture that

makes up the cores of the pencils. All three components are cargo shipped from their respective

location to the final processing factory. The most common method is to pass the mixture of the

clay, wax, and graphite through an extrusion mold to create strings which are cut and then dried

(Pencils). Once the cores have been dried they are ready to be slotted into the wood and continue

down the manufacturing process.

Environmental Impact

None of these materials are exempt from causing environmental impacts. The most

common among the three is carbon dioxide pollution from the machinery used as each is

extracted, processed and transported. Roughly 17.9 pounds of carbon dioxide is produced from

the burning of one gallon of diesel fuel (U.S. Energy Information Administration). With mining

and mineral processing operations taking place almost year round, the estimated production of

carbon dioxide could be hundreds or thousands of tons every year. As for harvesting, carbon

dioxide emissions are likely far less because of limits from the growing season, however because

of outdated equipment used in many of the harvesting operations it is likely that emissions are

still fairly high (Candelilla Wax).

During mining and processing there is not only a large production of carbon dioxide

emissions from the combustion of diesel fuel used in mining equipment and processing

machines, but the release of particulate matter in to the air and water, as well as the release of
 12

heavy metals and acids into local water supply. Peter Whoriskey, a journalist for the Washington

Post, wrote about a village in the north east of China where the graphite plant was dumping

directly into the local waters, which created such a polluted site that water became undrinkable.

Trees used for lumber were beginning to die off, house are covered in soot, and the local river no

longer froze in the winter. The acid and heavy metal runoff from processing can poison water

supplies and kill local flora and fauna. The particulate matter from the mining can cause serious

damage to human and animal respiratory systems (Adriano & Dudka, 1995). Bentonite mining in

the U.S. can have similar environmental impacts if it is not done in accordance with EPA

standards.

Harvesting plants in an arid climate can reduce an area's productive and threaten local

wildlife, however in the case of candelilla plant there are a number of other things to consider.

During the extraction fires burn for long periods of time in an open environment to supply heat

for melting (Manufacturing), then acid is used to purify the wax. Since the burning is usually

done on a smaller scale, when in the open environment it is not as large of an impact.

Nevertheless it is still releasing particulate matter, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide into the

atmosphere. If the acids make it into the environment they can cause a number of problems like

raising the pH in the surrounding environment, damaging plants and aquatic life, or entering the

atmosphere and becoming acid deposition (Sulfuric Acid).

Other Products Used with Pencils

Wood and graphite are only components of the pencil and are accompanied by the metal

ferrule that holds the eraser onto the wood and the eraser itself. These additional pieces have
 13

their own manufacturing process, environmental impact, and thus their own ecological footprint.

The metal pencil ferrule is typically made from aluminum extracted from Bauxite typically

found in Australia, Africa, and in the Caribbean. The Bauxite travels from where it was mined to

a factory to be extracted through a smelting process (Hall Process Production and

Commercialization of Aluminum - National Historic Chemical Landmark, 2018). It is easily

shaped into sheets and some of the aluminum makes its way to another factory to be

manufactured into ferrules for pencils. The eraser part of a pencil is made using a mix of

synthetic rubber and pumice and are typically produced in the factory where the particular pencil

is being manufactured (The Great Eraser Caper, 2018). The pumice could be mined from as far

away as Italy or Greece (Information About Pumice: Origins, Applications, Chemical Makeup,

2018). It would then travel by cargo ship, to the pencil manufacturer to be mix in the factory

along with the synthetic rubber to construct the little pink eraser at the end of a pencil.

Besides the additional pencil components, there are some products that are almost

necessary to use simultaneously with a pencil. A pencil sharpener and at least one sheet of paper

are usually essential partners of pencil use. Pencil sharpeners can be a simple as a conical metal

piece or as complex as an electric sharpener. The metal piece is typically made of aluminum or a

hard plastic. The aluminum could then come from the same place at the aluminum for the ferrule

(History of Pencil Sharpener – Types and Facts, 2018). From Austria, Africa, or the Caribbean to

a factory to be made into sheets by truck or ship, then by truck or ship to another factory to be

made into a sharpener, and finally to a store like Walmart to be bought with a pack of new Dixon

Ticonderoga pencils. There are many different types of paper used today made from trees or

recycled materials or rice and even hemp (How Paper is Made, 2018). Paper today is usually
 14

made from a combination of used and recycled fiber from pulpwood logs (timber) or recycled

paper products (How Paper is Made, 2018). Timber that makes paper can come from forests in

the United States or overseas, to a saw mill to be cut into timber and then shipped, from there, to

a factory that produces paper.

Lifespan of a Pencil

As mentioned previously, about 10 billion pencils are manufactured every year, which

results in a high recourse requirement. A standard number two pencil weighs about five grams,

which can be broken down to about one and a half grams of graphite per pencil. For a number

two pencil the ratio of graphite is 75% graphite, 20% clay, and 5% wax (Handl,1988). Which

converts to 1.125 grams of graphite, 0.3 grams of clay, and 0.075 grams of wax. This can be

converted again to full extent of 12,401 tons of graphite, 3,306 tons of bentonite clay, and 826

tons of wax need to make pencils each year. This combined with the previously mentioned

200,000 trees comes out to an estimated 28,400 tons of wood and at least 44,933 tons of recourse

needed to produce the pencils each year. This means that at least 33 tons of graphite and 9 tons

of bentonite must be mined and processed every day, and because of incensed cedar and

candelilla all of this harvesting will need to be done during their respective harvesting seasons.

After all the materials have been collected each needs to be shipped to the processing

plant. The wax, timber, and the clay takes an estimated 20 days to travel from North America to

Italy, while the graphite can take an estimated 36 days to reach Italy from China

(sea-distances.org). If the estimated fuel consumption of a cargo ship is 33.23 tons of diesel fuel

per day (Bialystocki & Konovessis, 2016), it takes a total of 1,860 tons of fuel to transport all of
 15

the materials to the manufacturing facility, assuming all the materials from the U.S. travel

together. It would then take another 664 tons of fuel to transport all of the finished product back

to the U.S for distribution.

After distribution, purchase, and use of the pencil, most are thrown away into landfills.

Each part of a pencil takes time to fully degrade in that landfill. It can take up to 13 years for

wood to biodegrade because even though it is naturally biodegradable the paint can increase time

to decomposition, and any where from 200 to 500 years for the aluminum clip to degrade (The

Green Space: Trash Degradation Exposed, 2010). The minerals on the other hand will not

breakdown and decompose, but instead will be weathered out. The lifespan of a pencil begins

with the mass production of materials and does not end once we have thrown it in our trash cans.

Conclusion

The pencil is one of the most common utensils found in classrooms, offices, and labs

around the world. It is almost an innocuous part of most peoples’ day yet it has a much larger

impact on the world as a whole. With loss of major carbon sinks in different climates and the

poisoning of local environments from mining and refining of minerals, a change needs to be

made. Smart consumption like choosing products from companies that meet PEFC certification

requirements, and petitioning legislators to set standards and enforce regulation on companies

and measures we can take now as consumers to encourage sustainable manufacturing. Otherwise

a reduction in these negative impacts will remain to be seen

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