11 Apr 2022

At least 82 000 trees are chopped to manufacture 14 billion wooden pencils every year, that is according to The Logical Indian, a digital media platform charged with relating  public-spirited stories of ordinary people trying to make a difference.

It is such stories that sparked the passion and creativity in the 36-year-old Ms Wada Kealotswe and inspired her to consider contributing to environmental conservation by repurposing old newspapers to make pencils.

BOPA team recently cought up with her at her workplace in Gaborone Block 6 and it is amazing to watch her transform graphite, newspapers, and glue into a pencil in the blink of an eye.

Calm and collected, she expressed that hers was a simple idea born during the country’s first lockdown as a distraction from the devastating news of COVID 19, she made crafts out of old DailyNews newspapers.

“After participating in a World Bank Youth Summit in Washington DC in 2019, this idea of crafting pencils took shape and came to fruition.”

“I pitched a recycling project under the theme; Smart and Resilient Cities, and the project made it to the semi-finals,” she narrated.

World Bank Summit is an annual event that engages youth globally on different contemporary issues.
Kealotswe’s self-funded project fully developed in 2020, trading as Ezra Eco Pencils and focusing on producing HB graphite and colored pencils in quantities of 12 per branded box.

The SEED Climate Adaptation Award in the waste category, which came with a monetary grant that she had won was also a blessing because it aided in the expansion of the project.

SEED is a Flemish government-funded international non-governmental organisation.

Newspapers are not the only materials used in pencil production; she also uses graphite glue and other raw materials sourced from China, as well as machinery such as a rod maker, dryer, and pencil cutter and eraser machine.

The process of making newspaper pencils begin with cutting the newspaper to the size of the graphite, followed by applying glue to stick the graphite and paper together before inserting them into a rolling machine to create a pencil rod.

When the rods are finished, they are stored in an open area to allow the glue to dry before being baked in an electric oven to fully harden them and slightly burn the papers to make them look like wood.

The Tutume native went on to say that the rods were then cut to the desired length and filed for a smooth finish before being dressed with an eraser and sharpened to reveal the graphite.

Given Ms Kelaotswe’s work ethics, there is no doubt that Ezra Eco Pencils will penetrate easily the market and stand position itself well to compete with international brands in the likes of HB, Hammer, and Staedtler, among many others.

While the market has presented some entities with challenges, Ms Kealotswe speaks a different language as her products have found their way onto the shelves, and the recently concluded Dubai 2020 Exposition has also boosted her global exposure through Botswana Investment Trade Centre, which showcased her stock at the expo. ENDS