Home
Enter search
Faber-Castell USA

Environmental & Social Responsibility

Our Manufacturing Policy

As a values oriented company, we are always working to make our products reflect our mission.
Our company has grown and we’ve increased manufacturing capacity and streamlined our processes to remain competitive, while always staying true to our mission.
In the beginning, Creativity for Kids kits were made in Phyllis and Evelyn’s basements and dining rooms. Then they moved into their very first office where design, production and shipping took place on-site. Seven years later, Creativity for Kids moved to East 23rd Street in downtown Cleveland. Production and assembly were done in sheltered workshops.
The company continued to grow by leaps and bounds and in the early 1990’s, it was necessary to move to an even larger location on Central Avenue in downtown Cleveland. It was here that all aspects of the business took place. The company had begun sourcing components in Asia and gradually we established a reliable network of vendors. Demand and distribution of Creativity for Kids became global. We needed to produce more products than our US production and assembly could handle. As a result, we transitioned production to our reliable Asian manufacturing partners while our US facility became focused on distribution.
We have always designed and developed all of our products, including the spectacular graphic designs right here in Cleveland, Ohio. As our Mission Statement states: “We operate our business in a responsible and caring way…” As a result, we are extremely selective regarding who we partner with to manufacture our products. These relationships have been built over the years and we consider our manufacturing partners to be a part of our family.

Social Responsibility

Faber-Castell manufacturing partners that produce and assemble Creativity for Kids activity kits are ICTI certified. ICTI stands for the International Council of Toy Industries and consists of toy trade associations from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The health and safety of children throughout the world is the driving force behind ICTI, which promotes international toy safety standards and a responsible attitude to advertising and marketing to children.
Joining the Faber-Castell group of companies was befitting for Creativity for Kids since Faber-Castell led the world in 2000 by ratifying a world-wide "Social Charter" for the Faber-Castell Corporation according to the employment and working conditions recommended by the International Labour Organization (ILO). In 2003 Faber-Castell joined the United Nations Global Compact and in 2004, the DNWE (Deutsches Netzwerk Wirtschaftsethik) Prize for Business Ethics was awarded to Faber-Castell in recognition of its exemplary contributions to society. Furthermore, in 2006 Faber-Castell received the "Preis der Arbeit" (Award for Good Corporate Governance) from "Forum ZukunftsÖkonomie" (Forum for Sustainable Economics) in recognition of its exemplary ecological and social commitment.

Environmental Policy

We feel an obligation and commitment towards people and the environment. We practice our social responsibility within the company, with business partners and in the community. We prioritize and continuously search for environmental friendly processes and materials to contribute to planet preservation.
Creativity for Kids kits packaging is made of recycled cardboard, soy-based inks are used for printing, and our instructions are printed on recycled paper. We recently eliminated the use of shrink wrap on all of our packaging which significantly reduced our use of plastics. We continue to investigate ways to leave a smaller footprint on the environment.
Faber-Castell has been a world leader in environmental stewardship.
  • In the early 1980’s, Faber-Castell established a re-forestation program for the production of pencils.
    • About 25,000 acres in size, this forest is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and approximately 1 Million seedlings per year are planted there.
    • 148 rare birds and 19 mammal species live in Faber-Castell forests.
    • Greenpeace, the environmental activist group, commissioned pencils made from Faber-Castell’s re-forested wood.
  • Faber-Castell was the first to develop and use water-based varnish on its pencils.
  • 100% of all Faber-Castell erasers are PVC and latex free.
  • Faber-Castell literature is printed on post-consumer recycled paper or FSC certified paper, which is made from paper harvested from managed forests.
At Faber-Castell USA headquarters, we recycle 22 tons of cardboard and 4 tons of office paper annually.