Eco-friendly stationery: refillable pens, recycled notebooks and kids' crayons

Refillable pens

• A refillable pen keeps its body and you replace only the ink cartridge, called a refill. This can reduce what you throw away.
• Refill formats differ by brand and sometimes by model, so check that the refill you buy fits your pen. A cheap pen with an unusual refill can be hard to keep supplied.
• Ink type matters to feel and drying time. Gel, ballpoint, rollerball and fountain pen ink are different, so choose by how you write.
• Fountain pens use cartridges or a converter that you fill from a bottle of ink. Bottled ink usually costs less per use than disposable cartridges, but you need to maintain the pen.
• Body material: metal and wood bodies can last for years, and plastic bodies often cost less. Check whether the maker sells replacement parts.

Recycled notebooks and paper

• Recycled content: the label may state how much of the paper is recycled and whether it is post-consumer. A specific statement is more useful than the word eco-friendly.
• FSC: FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council. Its labels describe how the fiber was sourced. We keep the description general and do not say which products carry it.
• Paper quality: thinner recycled paper can show ink on the back. Test with the pens you use.
• Binding: spiral, stitched and glued notebooks wear differently. A notebook that falls apart costs more per page than one that lasts.
• Packaging: plastic-free wrapping is a specific claim you can check.

Pencils, crayons and markers for children

• FSC pencils: pencils with wood from sources labeled FSC. Some pencils use other materials, such as recycled paper, so read the label.
• ACMI and the AP Seal: ACMI is the Art & Creative Materials Institute, a trade group that runs a certification program for art materials. Its AP (Approved Product) Seal is one thing you may see on crayons, markers and paints for children. It describes that program, and we do not say that any specific product has it. Check ACMI's website for what the seal covers.
• Non-toxic: describes a label statement. It is not a promise that a product is harmless, and children should not eat art supplies. Art materials sold in the United States also have federal labeling rules, so read any warnings on the package.
• Toddlers: art supplies for children under three should be made for that age, with large pieces that cannot be swallowed, and a child should be supervised. Follow the age label.

Our angle: cost per refill and cost per page

Two numbers make stationery easier to compare. First, for pens, divide the price of a refill pack by the number of refills to get the price per refill, then compare it with the price of a new disposable pen. The difference tells you how many refills it takes for the refillable pen to pay for itself, which is the price of the pen divided by the savings per refill. Second, for notebooks, divide the price by the number of pages. Check whether the label counts pages or sheets, since one sheet has two pages, and brands count differently. A notebook that lists sheets can look half as big when a competitor lists pages. Compare the same unit.

1. Divide the refill pack price by the number of refills.
2. Subtract that from the price of a disposable pen to see the saving per refill, then divide the refillable pen's price by it for the break-even.
3. Divide notebook prices by the number of pages, converting sheets to pages first.

When to buy

• Back-to-school sales usually run in July and August, and many stores discount notebooks, pens and crayons then.
• Holiday sales also include stationery, particularly gift sets.
• Stock up on what you use steadily, such as pen refills and notebooks, and buy the rest as needed.
• Check the return policy, and compare multipacks with the price per piece.