Sprout World

The History of Sprout

The inventors of The Sprout Pencil were three students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, who in 2012 came up with the idea for the brief: “Design the sustainable office article of tomorrow”.They set out to create the first plantable pencil in the world. The Sprout Pencil would be made out of sustainable wood with a dissolvable capsule containing seeds at the end, instead of an eraser.

The Sprout Pencil was introduced in summer 2013. Right from the beginning, the interest was overwhelming: from the press, bloggers, businesses, organisations and consumers. Demand is increasing steadily, as the Sprout Pencil gets more and more familiar, mentioned and recommended.

In 2014, the students sold their assets, including trademarks, patents and IP rights to Sprout. Today Michael Stausholm is the main shareholder and CEO of Sprout World.

Today, Sprout World sells more than 450,000 pencils a month in more than 60 different countries.

Sprout is constantly expanding its portfolio with new sprouting products, which are all rooted in sustainability, and which are a reaction to today’s “use-and-throw-away” culture. Using Sprout’s pencils, paper and microgreens gardens, you can create new life at the very moment, when otherwise they would have ended up in the dustbin.

Vision & Mission

The vision of Sprout World is to help reduce the world’s use of resources and be an active advocate for issues surrounding sustainability – in terms of production, green consumer products and business. Sprout World also aim to work actively to promote respect for the environment via the constant development of sustainable consumer products. Sprout seeks to become a world leader in the area of green, sustainable consumer products.

The mission of Sprout World is, to produce Sprout products, in a straightforward and comprehensible way, to help make it easier to understand what sustainability is all about. The company would like to contribute to greater awareness of, and education about sustainability. Sprout World do this through strategic partnerships with national and international educational institutions.

Values

Sprout is all about sustainability at the micro level, this is one of our key values of Sprout. On the large scale, sustainable development is all about using the Earth’s resources to create a balance between exploitation and protection, thereby avoiding the destruction of the very things we need for our existence.

On the small scale, sustainability is all about what we can do to become more aware of the Earth’s scarce resources. This is where Sprout World comes into the picture. Sprout want to make sustainability concrete and easily comprehensible – and above all FUN.

When a school distributes Sprout Pencils to its pupils as part of a project on sustainability, the concept suddenly becomes more tangible. The fact that a pencil turns into a herb, instead of ending up in a dustbin, represents sustainability at the micro level.When a company gives one of its customers a Sprout Pencil, instead of a traditional company pen, the gesture is highly symbolic. The same is true when an organisation, government or municipality distributes Sprout Pencils to its members, constituents or citizens.

Today it is no longer enough to focus only on revenue. It is becoming increasingly important to demonstrate social responsibility and respect for the environment. Sprout World strive to be a company with a high degree of transparency. In relation to choice of materials, manufacturing, work processes and distribution. Sprout World make sure to convey clearly what these elements involve.Sprout World is also working to develop a policy and working procedure for responsible supplier management. That is why Sprout World are constantly open to designing new, original and green products. In order to protect Sprout World's originality, they make sure that all products are, or are in the process of being, patented.

Simple and function are some of the key values of Sprout World. The products of Sprout World are to be used by everyone: children, the elderly, schools, organisations and companies from north to south. One crucial value of the sprouting products is convience and that products should be simple to use. The Sprout pencil demonstrates that sustainable products are not over-sophisticated, either in terms of production or function. It is also vital that Sprout’s products are functional. They should do something – preferably more than a single thing. Sprout’s products are products with a purpose.

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

The Sprout Pencil -The Plantable Pencil

The seed capsule, which contains high quality, untreated seeds, is water soluble, making the pencil easy to plant after use. Out of the pencil grow delicious fresh herbs, crispy vegetables or edible flowers.The Sprout Pencil is made of natural materials: the body is cedar wood, while the “lead” is a mixture of clay and graphite, and therefore does not contain any lead.

Who can use the Sprout Pencil?

People of any age can plant the Sprout Pencil and experience the joy of seeing it germinate. The home-grown herbs, vegetables or flowers can be used for cooking to give a dish the perfect taste. Do you need something innovative and unique to give to your customers? The Sprout Pencil can also be used to promote awareness of a company or a special message. For example, the Sprout Pencil can be used in the context of a special event or the launch of a new product. The Sprout Pencil is available in a customised version, where your company can have a logo or special text engraved on the pencil.

What to do

When the Sprout Pencil has become too short to write with, it is ready to be planted. We have chosen the seeds for our pencils with great care, and they germinate quickly: i.e. within 1-3 weeks, depending on the seed variety. Most plants can be grown both indoors and outdoors. In countries with temperate climates, it is best to plant in summer, because the plant needs a lot of sunlight every day in order to grow. You can buy The Sprout Pencil here

Sprout Color Pencils

The Sprout Color Pencil is the first sustainable pencil in the world there is plantable. When the Sprout Color Pencil has served it’s function, it can be planted and thereby give life to a plant. The Sprout Color Pencil has been given this dual function by replacing the eraser, which usually sits on top of the Sprout Color Pencil, with a special seed capsule.

The Plantable Color Pencil

The Sprout Color Pencil is made of natural materials: the body is cedar wood, while the “lead” is a mixture of clay and graphite, and therefore does not contain lead. The seed capsule, which contains high quality, non gmo seeds, is water soluble, making the color pencil easy to plant after use. Out of the pencil grow delicious fresh herbs, crispy vegetables or edible flowers.

Who can use the Sprout Color Pencil?

Do you need something innovative and unique to give to your customers? The Sprout Color Pencil can also be used to promote awareness of a company or a special message. For example, the Sprout Color Pencil can be used in the context of a special event or the launch of a new product. The color pencil is available in a customised version, where your company can have a logo or special text engraved on the Sprout Color Pencil. People of any age can plant the Sprout Color Pencil and experience the joy of seeing it germinate. The home-grown herbs, vegetables or flowers can be used in cooking to give a dish the perfect taste.

What to do

When the Sprout Color Pencil has become too short to write with, it is ready to be planted. We have chosen the seeds for our color pencils with great care, and they sprout quickly: i.e. within 1-3 weeks, depending on the seed variety. Most plants can be grown both indoors and outdoors. In countries with temperate climates, it is best to plant in summer, because the plant needs a lot of sunlight every day in order to grow. You can buy Sprout Color Pencils here

Tiny Gardens

Imagine having your own garden, which you can cultivate all year round, providing taste and vitamins and even small enough to fit on your windowsill. We at Sprout believe that everyone is entitled to a garden – even if they happen to lack space, time or money.

Here you go – a small garden in your window!

That is why we designed Tiny Gardens by Sprout. They are little, waterproof garden boxes made out of recycled cardboard with hemp mats instead of soil. All you have to do is place them in the window. When you water the mat, the seeds sprout quickly and, within a few days, you can harvest your own fresh micro-greens for food.Tiny Gardens by Sprout come in five different versions: basil, broccoli, cress, radish and sunflower. The boxes have a stylish design and there is also the option of having your own logo or message printed on them.

What are micro-greens?

Micro-greens are small plants, which you harvest as soon as they have developed their first set of true leaves. The seeds germinate with the first set of leaves, known as seed leaves. The stem is longer than normal, because micro-greens are grown for a short, intensive period, during which every stem strives for sunlight. Micro-greens are often confused with baby leaves or bean sprouts, but they are not quite the same. Baby leaves are leaves from different types of lettuce, which are harvested when they are small and not fully-grown. Bean sprouts are grown in a different way, and you usually eat the root and testa as well.

Seedlings have a greater density of nutrients than the fully-grown plant and are usually good sources of beta-carotene and Vitamins C, E and K. Micro-greens allegedly originate from 1980s California, when young, trendy chefs use them to pep up their dishes in terms of taste, texture and colour. Micro-greens are familiar from growing cress. Most children have tried sowing mustard and cress on a wad of cotton wool in a saucer. There are many different herbs and vegetables you can grow as micro-greens. The process is easy and healthy, and everyone finds it fun. You can buy Sprout Tiny Gardens here

Sprout Cards

Plantable Paper

Sprout seed paper is a very special kind of handmade, recycled paper that contains various flower seeds. When you have finished using the paper, instead of throwing it away, you can plant it. The paper is easy to plant, because it dissolves in the soil. The paper degrades biologically, and out of it grow the most delightful flowers. The applications of the paper are countless. It is generally used for cards, boxes, business cards and flyers etc., but actually the sky’s the limit.

All the materials used are natural materials. The paper is manufactured from recycled material, and the seeds are high quality, unsprayed seeds.

Who can use the paper?

Anyone, of any age, can plant the paper and experience the joy of seeing it germinate. The beautiful flowers lend colour to your surroundings: for example, they look great on the windowsill. Do you need something innovative and unique to give to your customers? The paper can be used to promote awareness of a company or a special message, for example in the shape of a card with marketing slogans or small boxes that can be used as samples. If you send the paper as a card, people will remember your greeting long after you sent it.

The options offered by the paper are endless, and we manufacture it according to your specifications.

What to do

When you have finished using the paper, you can give it a new lease of life by planting it. Follow the simple instructions below, and let your paper germinate and turn into beautiful flowers. If you take great care of it, you will experience the joy of seeing the paper grow.

Fill a plant pot with good, damp potting soil or topsoil.
Cut/tear the paper into small pieces and plant it just below the surface of the soil, no more than 1 cm down.
Place the pot in a warm, bright place.
Keep the water moist by watering daily. Check every day to see whether it needs more water.

We have chosen the seeds for our paper with great care. The seeds we selected germinate quickly: i.e. generally within 1 week. Then, after 4-6 weeks, the flowers grow. You can cultivate the paper indoors or outdoors, when the weather permits. It is best to plant the paper in the summer, because it needs lots of sunlight every day in order to grow.