What can you do with a pencil stub that’s too short to write with? A new pencil company called Sprout has an idea: Plant it in the soil and watch it grow!
Denmark-based Sprout makes pencils with a special capsule where the eraser would normally be. The capsule is made of a plant-based material that dissolves in water. Inside are flower, herb, or vegetable seeds.
People use and sharpen the pencils like normal. Then they bury the stubs in soil. Adding water dissolves the capsule and helps the seeds germinate, or begin to grow. After a few weeks, a plant sprouts from the soil. “You’re giving a pencil new life instead of throwing it away,” says Sprout founder Michael Stausholm.