Meet the world’s first plantable pencil. A pencil you can grow into a plant. 🌱 In this Conscious Design Podcast episode, SproutWorld founder & CEO Michael Stausholm reveals how this simple idea became a global eco brand, selling over 80 million pencils worldwide and expanding into plantable makeup.

Michael shares the full journey: from discovering the idea at MIT, to building a certified B-Corp, to redefining what sustainability means for everyday products. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, eco-conscious consumer, or design thinker, this episode shows how a single idea can spark a worldwide movement.

🔎 In this episode you’ll learn:

What a plantable pencil is and how it works
How SproutWorld grew from MIT invention to 80M+ sales globally
Why corporations and consumers are embracing plantable products
The meaning and impact of B-Corp certification
How SproutWorld developed plantable eyeliners, brow liners, and lip liners
Why sustainability storytelling builds stronger brands
The future of eco-innovation and plantable everyday items

⏩ Jump to your favorite parts:

00:33 Welcome to the Conscious Design Podcast

00:49 : Meet Michael Straus: CEO of Sprout World

01:09 : The Origin of Plantable Pencils

03:27 : Sprout World's Market and Popularity

06:48 : Sustainability and Certifications

11:02 : Innovative Expansion into Makeup

20:33 : The Future of Sprout World

32:36 : Conclusion and Contact Information

About Michael Stausholm and SproutWorld

Michael Stausholm is the Founder & CEO of SproutWorld, the company behind the world’s only patented plantable pencil. What began as a Kickstarter idea by MIT students became a global eco innovation. Today, SproutWorld is a certified B-Corp proving that business can be best for the world, not just in the world.

🔗𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 Michael Stausholm and SproutWorld

Website: https://sproutworld.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelstausholm/

LinkedIn (SproutWorld): https://www.linkedin.com/company/sprout-europe/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelstausholm/

Instagram (SproutWorld): https://www.instagram.com/sproutworldofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.s.christiansen.9

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻” 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNMN9BT

Learn more: https://www.consciousdesignhaus.com/

Want to turn visionary ideas into market-ready, sustainable products? 👉 https://www.petermanfirm.com/

🤝 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁:

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