Jens Schott of German-based pen supplier Uma (asi/92469) doesn’t want his writing instruments to be just another free grab on the show floor that ends up in a hotel trash can.

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Schott believes it is his company’s responsibility – and the promo industry’s writ large – to make valued items that can be used for a long time. Uma is part of a greater shift in Europe toward environmental mindfulness, he says, which he hopes will inspire more promotional products distributors in the United States.

“In the last year in Europe, there has been a change,” he says. “More companies are thinking about what things will be like in 10, 15, 30 years. There are some easy steps to make products really different from the current standard. We’re in the beginning with changing minds in the U.S. market.”

The Uma rPET PEN Series is the first recycled promotional pen made from recycled PET pens and recycled tins. Schott says the series is the most sustainable and innovative in the promotional pen market, and that Uma is also a carbon-free company. About 30 of its products are now 100% climate-neutral, he adds.

Uma offers a line of wooden pens, which are certified by multiple forest conservation groups.

Another area Schott is proud of is Uma’s wooden pen series. The supplier’s wooden writing instruments are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). “The main value for the product – and for me personally – is the fact that the wood used for production is coming from our area,” Schott says.

Uma is a third-generation family company based in the Black Forest region of Germany. In 1949, the company’s founder, Fritz Ullmann, transformed simple ballpoint pens into an advertising medium. Today, it has more than 250 employees at its main site in Fischerbach in southwest Germany. The company has been awarded for its sustainability – including as Innovator of the Year, a category of the PSI Sustainability Awards, in 2020 – and has been fully carbon-neutral since 2019.

“If you can read a company name on the product hundreds of times, it’s the very best thing. If it’s not a quality item or doesn’t work for long, that’s how waste happens. Maybe spend a few cents more for a quality product.”Jens Schott, Uma

However, settling on a pen that not only worked but was also sustainable took trial and error, and what at first appeared to be sustainable was not so on further inspection. In the beginning, the company made biodegradable pens from corn and other products, but those materials were difficult to get and not very sustainable, according to Schott.

From there, Uma turned its attention to obtaining recycled materials that could be recycled again and again and not degrade in quality each time (known as downcycling). That’s where its focus will stay, says Schott, adding: “Our demand for quality is always at the forefront. Through constant investments, we have continuously optimized our production processes step by step.”

Schott is confident that if someone gets their hands on a pen from Uma, they’ll no doubt keep it for a very long time. “If you can read a company name on the product hundreds of times, it’s the very best thing,” he says. “If it’s not a quality item or doesn’t work for long, that’s how waste happens. Maybe spend a few cents more for a quality product.”

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