9am Business speaks to Michael Stausholm, founder of global business SproutWorld
Can you tell us a little bit about SproutWorld?
SproutWorld makes the world’s only pencils that you can plant after use and grow into herbs, flowers or vegetables. The pencils are simple to use – once they are too short to write or colour with, the stub is planted into soil, with the capsule end down.
We have sold millions of Sprout pencils in 80 countries. Each pencil offers an ecological alternative to the plastic ballpoint pens produced worldwide every day.
How did you get into the sustainable stationery business?
A group of robotic students at Boston MIT had been given a task, to ‘design the sustainable office tool of tomorrow’. I came across their project online as they had launched a kickstarter to fund their project. My background is in the textile industry, and at that time I was looking to make more sustainable strides forward – I loved the simple way this pencil could communicate the need for a circular economy. I purchased the global rights for the product and we launched the company in 2013.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The main challenge we have faced has been the issue of fakes and counterfeits. It’s not just us of course: according to research by MarkMonitor, almost half of brands are now losing sales to counterfeit goods (47%). The impact is not just on those immediate sales that are taken by a fake – it has a ripple effect, on future sales and reputations.
How did you tackle it?
We had noticed counterfeit attempts from regions like China, India, and Turkey. Despite patents and trademarks, we knew manual monitoring was only uncovering a fraction of infringements. Counterfeits were using unsustainable materials that posed ecological risks, introducing non-native seeds that could damage biodiversity. This is literally the opposite of what we want to do.
It was imperative that we removed these harmful products from the market, ensuring that our innovations remained eco-friendly and trusted by consumers, and that the environment was protected – the whole point of our company! We needed a scalable, efficient solution to combat counterfeiters while safeguarding our reputation and sustainability mission.
To tackle these challenges, we partnered with a company called Red Points, deploying AI-powered technology to detect and remove counterfeit listings across platforms such as Amazon, Facebook, and Etsy. We also identified and reported 1,982 infringers globally, gaining invaluable visibility into reseller networks. These efforts streamlined enforcement, enhanced operational efficiency, and supported SproutWorld’s broader sustainability and circular goals.
Why should businesses be more sustainable?
It’s not just an ethical decision, it’s a sensible business one. Consumers want to make environmentally sound choices. A report from The Roundup last year revealed that 78% of consumers feel that sustainability is important, 62% of people say they “always or often” seek products to purchase because they are sustainable, 55% of consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly brands and a whopping 84% of customers say that poor environmental practices will alienate them from a brand or company.
How can businesses make changes?
Be patient – change takes time. Get educated, learn about regulations and targets being set, seek out innovative companies. If you create products, look to improve their circularity: have Life Cycle Assessments organised and start with one product to identify areas for improvement. We can all make changes, even small ones.
What has been your career highlight?
We loved making pencils for Michelle Obama – she used our pencils as merchandise on her book tour. And National Geographic hailed the SproutWorld pencil as a breakthrough invention.
What’s next for SproutWorld?
We’re already sold in over 80 countries but we’re keen to keep growing: as well as working with lots of businesses, hotels, schools and colleges, we’re actively working with government groups across different countries and having our pencils used by their delegates and guests, who like to use our pencils at events. There are so many fantastic organisations driving real awareness and change and we are really proud to be a small part in that.