For the extraction process wood is harvested from trees. The most common trees used to make pencils are varying types of cedar, basswood and tropical rain forest wood.The most widely used wood is incense-cedar. Most of the incense-cedar is harvested renewable while the others aren't. In china some pencils are also created from recycled newspaper. Graphite is also used as it is the writing element. The materials to create the graphite are extracted from Canada and mexico. The materials used to create the eraser are extracted from central Africa and Indonesia.
Graphite is a form of carbon and is mixed wax and clay. The crude oil to make the eraser is then processed to make the synthetic rubber used to create the eraser.
Pencils can be manufactured in different ways but typically only one way. First the cedar is cut into blocks in a saw mill. These blocks are called pencil stocks. The stocks are then put in a kiln to dry out and to rid them of all moisture. They are then sent to the slate factory. At the slate factory the stocks are cut down into pencil blocks. Pencil blocks are like stocks except they are trimmed down, but still longer than the final product to account for allowance. They are then cut into slates which are thin sheets by saws. The wood is then treated before groves are cut into the top of the slates to allow for the graphite to be inserted. Two sheets of the slates are then sandwiched together with the graphite in the middle. The slate is then trimmed into the well known shape of pencils and then lathered with four to ten layers of paint. Finally an eraser and ferrule(metal rings) are crimped onto an end of the pencil.
Pencils are some of the most widely used utensils across the world. They are used everywhere, from schools to offices.
In the past pencils were hard to dispose of due to the use of lead. Because of the major demand for pencils many trees and forests need to be cut down for production. Even though this is true, cedar pencils can be produced at a sustainable rate unlike ones made from other types and variations of wood. Pencils made from recycled newspaper also are sustainable as they are produced from waste.
A. The life cycle of a product is the life span of the product, from the collection of the materials to it being thrown away by consumers. B. Manufacturers of products need to know the life cycle of their product for many reasons. The most important reason is so that that they know that their product wont cause harm to the environment and that it can be easily disposed of or recycled after it serves its intended purpose. C. I would change the way materials are harvested to protect the environment and to make its production sustainable as it is such a widely used product. D. Pencils might become obsolete as technology takes over but if that time comes it would be far in the future. E. A trade off is where a sacrifice is made in order for a gain. For example a product might damage the environment more but they company that produces the product will make more profit. F. Short cuts are taken during the production and extraction of pencils so the way the materials can be extracted harm the environment. G. The earth has limited resources so eventually they will run out unless they are reused/purposed. H. They decide the materials to use to create the product. I. Society has to recycle the products in order for them to be reused. J. Recycle any product that has been designed to be recycled. You can reuse old products and not buy new versions if the one being used isn't broken.