A group of Dunedin pupils has seen their sustainable business idea grow in leaps and bounds.
The Columba College Re-think Green team has sold 15,000 of their biodegradable pens which become seed cages and fertiliser once the user has finished with them.
Their idea originally won them the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme Movac award for high growth potential - and their sales efforts are being boosted, with BP offering to sell the five winning products from the scheme in the areas where the products were designed.
Re-think Green production director Sarah Robertson said the group started the company with $20 and had to take out a loan to pay for the first shipment of pens. They broke even within a month.
"It's crazy. Initially, people were sceptical when we said we'd sell 10,000 but we said, 'No. Have faith'."
They have the sole New Zealand distribution rights for the Italian-made pens.
"We all wanted to have a bit of an environmental focus. New Zealanders use more than 20 million pens a year. Our pens can make a difference."
BP New Zealand managing director Mike McGuinness said he was impressed by the quality of the products and was pleased to be able to provide a place where the public could buy them. The pens would be available for $2 from today until the end of January at BP stores in Dunedin.
