Eight questions for founder Michael Stausholm
1. What is your background?
I grew up in South Zealand in Denmark and was later trained in shipping at A.P. Møller/Mærsk. I lived in Asia (Indonesia) For 15 years, and for part of that time, I ran my own company. Before I founded Sprout in 2013, I worked as sustainability and responsible manufacturing consultant and purchasing agent for banks and major companies. I have also given many talks about sustainability: for example, for the United Nations during a summit in Russia.
2. How did you get the idea for sprout?
In fact, the idea comes from three young students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA. They were all robotic engineers, but on a design course they were given a project to come up with ideas for sustainable office products for the future. They came up with the idea of a pencil that can be planted after use and put the idea on www.kickstarter.com, where I discovered it and signed a contract to sell and distribute it in Europe. In late 2014 we bought all the rights, including the patent, the IP rights and, of course, the global rights for the Sprout pencil, including the North American market.
3. Did you think that sprout would be a success from day one?
I was crazy about the idea, but frankly even I was initially surprised by the enormous success the pencil seemed to be from the word “go”. In fact, I woke up every morning for the first six months, thinking: now we don’t need to manufacture more pencils. But that was then. Luckily.
4. Why do you think it’s been so successful?
The Sprout pencil matches the spirit of the age. The product challenges the use-and-chuck-away culture, which permeated the consumption pattern before the financial crisis made us more conscious of our consumption habits.
The Sprout pencil is an easy and fun way to illustrate what sustainability is all about. It’s the combination of pure natural materials, the fact that it can be planted and that it’s something you can actually make use of. This notion of using a product, and then giving it a new life instead of throwing it away, is at the root of the other products in our portfolio. We just designed a plantable makeup pencil.
5. What does sustainability mean to you?
Being conscious of our choice of materials in consumer items. Thinking about how, and under what conditions things are manufactured. Also, the actual product should be sustainable: in other words, you don’t just throw something away, but recycle or plant it.
6. You once said that you would like to make a difference. In what way?
By making even a slight difference at some level in terms of how consumers think, when they shop. By showing that it is possible to manufacture in Europe and the United States without sacrificing sustainable materials, decent working conditions and reasonable prices. We would also like to make a difference for the people the company appoints. For example, by using people with special needs to pack, as we do in a sheltered workshop in Denmark.
7. You’re a Dane. In what way does that have an impact on the way you run sprout?
I’m a Dane, but for 15 years I lived overseas, so I probably have a more global outlook than many Danish business owners. Denmark is known for design and innovation – a tradition I am proud to be part of.
8. Who uses sprout pencils?
We have two major customer groups. On one hand, the ordinary consumer who loves the idea of being able to write using a totally ordinary pencil in an age where most of our communication is conducted electronically. And then being able to plant the pencil stub and end up with flowers, herbs or vegetables. We sell the pencils on Amazon to consumers in 6 countries.
On the other hand, we sell to organisations and companies, who regard the Sprout pencil as a superb form of green marketing, where their logo or message can be laser-engraved. It is an excellent alternative to traditional, environmentally damaging company ballpoint pens.