Tom’s Studio, the stationery brand challenging throwaway culture, has launched The Wren Write Off, a pen crafted with lids made from upcycled plastic waste; primarily discarded pens.
Every year, an estimated nine billion disposable pens are discarded globally, contributing to plastic pollution and landfill. For over 70 years, billions of plastic pens have been tossed aside, leaving a toxic legacy of microplastics. At Tom’s Studio, waste isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning.
After years of creating refillable pens designed to last a lifetime, Tom’s Studio saw an opportunity to go further, closing the loop and giving single-use pens a second life. Working with UK schools to collect discarded stationery, and Brothers Make, an independent design duo specialising in repurposing plastic waste, the team has transformed used pens, DVD cases, and other plastics into beautifully unique pen lids for the Write Off range.
Each lid is one of a kind, crafted through a meticulous process of sorting, chipping, and injection-moulding rescued plastic in small batches.
“The stationery industry has a huge plastic problem,” said Tom Gyr, Founder of Tom’s Studio. “We launched The Wren last year as an infinitely refillable alternative to throwaway pens. With Write Off, we’re taking waste that’s already out there and turning it into something better.”
The lids come in five colourways, each made from a different blend of waste plastic, ensuring every single lid is unique. Just like the original Wren, the Write Off delivers a premium writing experience while ensuring fewer pens end up in landfill.
Tom’s Studio will be exhibiting on stand G227 at London Stationery Show, 13-14 May. Visitor registration is now open and is free for retailers, buyers, dealers and other resellers of stationery. It is not open to the general public.
