Edding

In the world of pens and markers, edding distinguishes itself as a trusted name, combining German craftsmanship with a family touch. Established as a family business in 1960, edding has grown into a global ink specialist brand, known for its commitment to quality and helping people express themselves throughout their lifetime.

The story of edding began in Hamburg, where Carl-Wilhelm Edding and Volker Detlef Ledermann launched their first hit: the edding No. 1 over 60 years ago. edding quickly recognised that creativity comes in many forms, and stands as a versatile beacon in the world of stationery, and set out to offer an expansive range of marking tools tailored to cater to every conceivable need. Whether it's educational tools, or kid-friendly options, to professional work solutions, creative endeavours, home applications, office essentials, edding has a marker designed for every surface and marking requirement.

The company’s commitment to quality is evident in every product, as every pen, marker and spray paint has been manufactured to an exceptionally high standard, reflecting the precision and attention to detail that define German-made goods.  

Moreover, the brand's commitment extends beyond utility to sustainability. In response to the growing importance of eco-friendly practices, edding demonstrates a steadfast commitment to environmental responsibility. The edding EcoLine range launched in 2009, is made from 83% post-consumer plastics, equivalent to 90% recycled material overall. Furthermore, the whole EcoLine range packaging is 100% cardboard. Furthermore, edding have collaborated with Tree Appeal on their ‘Trees for Schools’ campaign; contributing 5p from every sale of an EcoLine marker towards planting trees in the UK and Africa.

With the company’s new profit-for-strategy, edding’s aim is to give more back to the environment and society in the long term than it takes in the form of the resources required for its day-to-day operations and development. To this end, the company has set itself a series of environmental, social, economic and internal sustainability goals. Over the next two years, changes and new packaging solutions among other things are expected to reduce edding’s CO2 emissions by at least 3,000 tonnes.

The family business is already working on changing the material used for the casings of its most popular pen, the edding 3000,from primary aluminium to post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminium. Working in partnership with the packaging company LINHARDT, edding has made significant technical advances on this journey in recent months and it now plans to make the production switch to PCR aluminium from the beginning of 2024. In parallel, other plastic shafts of edding products from the Bautzen plant will also be converted to 100% recycled polypropylene in 2024.

Another significant development is the social impact partnership launched by edding in 2021 with the B-Corp company share will now be further extended. From 2024, edding will assume sole responsibility for sales of share’s entire stationery product range, which currently consists of 29 products. The common mission with share will remain unchanged, with sales from every product sold – including the share x edding EcoLine permanent markers and highlighters – being used to support social projects around the world.

“We want to contribute to a more caring world and to make it as easy as possible for people to do something good in their everyday lives. Every stationery product sold will provide an hour’s teaching for children in Uganda”, confirms Ben Unterkofler, share’s founder. “Everyday purchases are a powerful way of integrating donations into people’s daily lives across the board. We are therefore delighted that a strong brand like edding is supporting this social mission and thereby creating vital access to
education for many children.”

edding is expected to provide 5 million school lessons for children over the next three years through the distribution of share stationery products. This partnership will strengthen the ongoing collaboration between the two companies, both of which are founded on the same shared values.

“Our long-term partnership with share is an important step for us in our mission to take on greater social and civic responsibility. We are proud that sustainable practices have always been firmly anchored in edding’s corporate culture. Nevertheless, we recognise the challenges that we currently face on the way to becoming a purposeorientated (profit-for) company. We know that we still have a long way to go but we are confident that we are ready for this journey,” adds Per Ledermann, CEO of the edding Group.

While proudly German, edding has become a global player, with products cherished not only in Germany but also in many countries worldwide. With a presence in over 110 countries and 11 offices across nine countries, making them one of the top market leaders in their field.

More information about product ranges, the latest updates, insights and initiatives can be found on edding’s official website : www.edding.com.

Keep up-to-date with the latest releases, promotions, and creative inspirations by following edding on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

For inquiries or assistance, feel free to contact the edding team by phone at 01727 846688 or via email at info@edding.co.uk.