Sustainable Spotlight: Sprout Plantable Makeup Pencils Bloom into Bee-Friendly Wildflowers

Sprout plantable eyeliner blooms into beautiful bee-friendly wildflowers.

Sprout is an environmentally inspired brand that creates products with a uniquely sustainable life cycle. The brand first launched with pencils that can be planted after you’re done using them to become herbs, flowers, vegetables, and spruce trees. Since launching, Sprout has sold over 50 million pencils. 

In addition to the pencils for writing, Sprout has also launched innovative allergy-certified eyeliner and eyebrow pencils that can be planted to bloom into beautiful bee-friendly wildflowers. The rich, creamy makeup formula is vegan-friendly and made from natural ingredients. 

Sprout calls their products “green messengers” because they encourage customers to think about the full life cycle of everyday products, while also taking a step towards making a more positive impact on the environment. We caught up with Sprout Founder Michael Stausholm to learn more about the brand and their sustainable values.

Sprout Founder Michael Stausholm

Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you to launch Sprout?

I was born and raised in Denmark, and I have a background in Maersk, a global Danish shipping company, and later as a consultant within sustainable procurement for textile companies in Asia. I lived in Indonesia for 15 years before I returned to Denmark in 2006.

In 2012 I came across the plantable Sprout pencil on Kickstarter. It was invented by a group of students from MIT, Boston. They attached a capsule with seeds on the end of a pencil and made it possible to give the pencil stub a new life after you’re done writing or coloring with it. You simply plant it with the capsule in the soil and wait for herbs, vegetables, flowers, or trees to grow.

I contacted the students, and purchased the patent and IP rights of the pencil, founding Sprout World in 2013. For me, the Sprout pencil is such a good way of illustrating what sustainability can look like: You use a product and then give it a new life. If you can give a used pencil a new life, what else can you do for the environment? This is a question we would like you to ask.

 What was your first launch, and what type of plants can you grow with it?

We launched the Sprout pencil (graphite) in Denmark to start with back in spring 2014, and it was a success from the beginning. It is especially popular amongst companies that get the pencil customized and use it for campaigns, trade fairs, conferences, etc.

 Today, we have sold over 50 million Sprout pencils in more than 80 countries.

 The Sprout pencil can grow into 11 different plants such as basil, sage, cilantro, cherry tomato, forget-me-nots, daisy, sunflower, and spruce tree.

 When did you launch your plantable eyeliner and eyebrow pencils?

Because we have a global patent on “plantable writing instruments” (that also includes makeup), we decided to develop some quality, sustainable eye makeup liners that are good to both your skin and the planet. They grow into wildflowers after use. At the moment, the Sprout liners include a black eyeliner, a brown eyeliner and a brown browliner. We sell them in our webshop (EU) and on Amazon (EU, UK and USA) and the sales are going really well.

 What should people know about the ingredients in your makeup? 

All ingredients are carefully selected. We wanted to proof that a very sustainable makeup product can also be good quality. The liner is made of sustainably certified wood, the formula is all natural, the seed capsule is made of plant cellulose that dissolves when you plant it, the seeds are non-GMO, and the cap to cover the tip of the liner is made with sugar cane. Furthermore, the liners are all AC-tested (AllergyCertified) which confirms that they contain no harmful chemicals.

 Can you tell us about the various aspects of sustainability for your products?

Both our graphite pencils, color pencils and makeup liners are produced and hand assembled in the EU for the European market and in Minnesota for the American market. We do not depend on any supply chains from China or Asia which we think is a great quality stamp.

We got B-Corp certified as a brand recently. B-Corp is a certification that ensures that we live up to high standards when it comes to sustainability when it comes to ingredients, supply chains, production, and working conditions. We are very proud to have achieved this, because we strive to do more than expected, always.

We also bought a piece of idle land in Poland where our European production takes place for the purpose of reforestation. We are going to plant 12,000 new trees next year.

Where can people purchase your products?

The Sprout World store on Amazon or if you are a company and want personalized pencils you can contact us on www.sproutworld.com

Any upcoming launches we should watch out for next?

We are looking into launching makeup liners in more colors and a lipliner.

[Images courtesy of Sprout]

A University of Michigan graduate, Lizzy Sherman is an award-winning digital content writer/editor. Her work has appeared in publications including Beauty Launchpad, Nailpro, DAYSPA, CNET, Entertainment Tonight, and more. She has been a featured guest speaker at Cal State University Northridge, Digital LA, and The National Association of Audience Marketing Professionals. When she's not writing, Lizzy enjoys yoga and playing guitar. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter: @zillizy, @zillizy16