Crayola Goes Green

Many parents might have noticed that many Crayola products are sporting new packaging. The classic white barreled markers have even gone to black barrels. Crayola isn’t trying to expand into the hipster market. The company is making a point to use more environmentally friendly manufacturing methods.

Before any driving parents out there get overly surprised at the news radio reports of a ‘greener’ crayon manufacturer and drive their cars through their garage doors, consider that this move is not only good for the planet—it is also good public relations for the company. Crayola is viewed as an all-American company. It is part of the quintessential Americana culture. When people think Crayola, they think of quality products made in the United States. Start waving those mini American flags.

All in all, it is in the company’s best interest to go the greener route. In a move that is leading the manufacturing industry, Crayola recently installed 15 acres of photovoltaic technology to run their headquarters and manufacturing plant in Easton Pennsylvania. Sure, a photovoltaic system of that size cost a pretty penny to design and install. But the 26,000 photovoltaic panels will supply one-third of the energy needed annually to make Crayola’s annual 3 billion crayons. That is a lot of power coming from a waste-free renewable resource. It won’t take long for the company to see major energy cost savings.

Hopefully other manufacturers in the United States will soon follow suit. After all, German manufacturers have been using photovoltaics to power their plants for two decades. But being a leader in the manufacturing industry isn’t the only way Crayola is going green. The new black markers aren’t just to help the kids look cool on their first days back at school. By changing the marker barrels to black, the company is able to use more recycled material to make them. Just what did those markers used to be? They used to be plastic bottle caps. Plus, the black barrels allow the markers themselves to be recycled to a greater extent than the white ones. That’s right, even if the kids write on the garage door with them, don’t throw these markers in the trash can. They belong in the recycling bin.

Crayola’s colored pencils are also getting a green makeover. They are now being made from reforested wood instead of wood from old growth forests. Not only that, but Crayola is making sure that a new tree is planted for every tree used in their colored pencils. This might not help Crayola’s bottom line, but it does help ensure that there will always be trees available to make more colored pencils with.

Crayola has also pledged not to raise the prices on these goods just because they’ve gone green. To find Crayola’s new green selection, just look for the packages with the yellow and green triangles. Just don’t get in too much of a hurry and drive through the garage door.