Environmental initiatives

Let’s make our cities habitable for dragonflies

Dragonflies flying freely in the sky are a symbol of nature’s beauty.
Tombow wishes for an environment with a clear blue sky and clean water where dragonflies enjoy flying and it is committed to developing people- and earth-friendly stationery.

Environmental policy

Tombow promotes harmony between the global environment and its business activities to contribute to society through the development, production, and sale of stationery and it continues to be a people- and earth-friendly company.

  • We develop and produce environmentally friendly and safe products, and promote environmental awareness through sales.

  • We eliminate waste of products and operations and use resources and energy carefully.

  • We strive to improve the environment and prevent pollution through internal and external collaboration.

Production of environmentally friendly products

Environmentally friendly products made from recycled materials

Refillable environmentally friendly products

Environmentally friendly products made of wood certified for legality and sustainability

Green Tombow Implementation

In 2023 we established our own environmental label “Green Tombow”.
“Green Tombow” is a Type II environmental label based on the ISO14021 standard that is displayed on products that meet Tombow’s “Green Tombow Standards” along with an explanation of the main environmental considerations.

Learn more about Green Tombow

Participation in the Green Purchasing Network

What is the Act on Promoting Green Procurement?

Enforced on April 1, 2001, the act is aimed at building a society in which the establishment of regulations necessary for promotion of procurement of environmentally friendly goods and services by the state and other entities, provision of information, and promotion of the shift of demand to environmentally friendly goods enable environmentally friendly sustainable development.Official name: Act on Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities

What is the Green Purchasing Network?

The Green Purchasing Network is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the ideas and practices of green purchasing in Japan. The GPN is a network that companies, governments and consumers take part in.

Tombow is a member of the Green Purchasing Network.

Forest certification

Tombow has acquired Chain of Custody certification for the process of manufacture and sale of pencils.

Forest certification is a system in which third-party experts certify the compliance with established sustainability standards in forest management. Forest certification has two types of certification, for management of forests and for forest-based products. Consumers can support sustainable forests and contribute to the increase in their numbers by selecting and purchasing certified products and products made of materials from certified forests.

Environmental Label for Tombow’s environmentally friendly products

Tombow Pencil’s Unique Environmental Label

  • This product meets Green Tombow standards.
    “Green Tombow” is a Type II environmental label that complies with ISO14021 standards.

Environmental Labeling Based on Third-Party Standards

  • This Eco Mark product is certified by the Japan Environmental Association. The Eco Mark is a Type I environmental label based on the ISO14024 standards and is given to products that have been recognized to have a low environmental impact throughout their lifecycle, from production to disposal, and to be useful for environmental conservation.

  • Products complying with the Act on Promoting Green Procurement (Act on Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services by the State and Other Entities).
    (According to the Basic Policy on Promotion of Procurement of Eco-Friendly Goods and Services approved at the Cabinet meeting in February 2019)

  • We have posted this product on the GPN Eco-products Database. The Database is operated by the Green Purchasing Network (GPN) for disclosing environmental information on products and services along the GPN’s Green Purchasing Guidelines and evaluation criteria of the Act on Promoting Green Procurement to make consumers able to compare the information. Being posted on the Database does not mean that GPN recommends the products or services.

  • This product is certified by the PEFC international forest certification system.
    The PEFC label on Tombow’s stationery indicates we use timber produced from sustainably managed forest.

  • This product has been certified by the Japan Organic Resources Association with the “Biomass Mark”. The Biomass Mark is attached to products that utilize biological resources (biomass). A number indicating the “biomass degree” (the ratio of the dry weight of the biomass used to the dry weight of the product) is attached to the mark displayed on the product.

Development and production of safe products

Non-phthalic acid-based plasticizers

The reason for changing the plasticizer is that for “MONO” erasers; which are sold in Europe, the United States, Asia, and other global markets and boast excellent eraser performance; the “European RoHS Directive” (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment) regulations were tightened and phthalate ester plasticizers were added to the list of restricted substances. For this reason we started our own research on non-phthalate alternative plasticizers. As a result from the spring of 2018, we have been shipping products that do not use phthalic acid-based plasticizers.

Participation in COOL CHOICE

COOL CHOICE is a national movement, which is to be continued until 2030, aimed at climate control and reduction of greenhouse gas.

Tombow takes part in this national movement.

COOL CHOICE site