Anniversary
60th
’Development is based on risk. The gain is proportional to
the risk. The more you risk, the more you have the chance
to win – or lose. The practical solution: cover the risk totally
from the start and then you can only win’
.
These were some of the frst words that Marcel Bich wrote to the
stakeholders of BIC® back in 1973, and their inspiring values are still strongly
held by the company, and indeed by Marcel’s grandson, Gonzalve Bich, who
is today the General Manager of Northern Europe for BIC®, and local General
Manager for UK and Ireland.
Gonzalve Bich has worked for BIC®
for nine years and is very proud of its
heritage and the success that the BIC®
Cristal® pen, which is celebrating its
60th anniversary this year, has had
within the market. The BIC® Cristal®
pen has become an integral part of life
for consumers across the world; from
children’s pencil cases and offce workers’
desks, to being used by designers and
artists in exhibitions and art galleries –
and it has become the most sold ball pen
in the world.
The birth of the modern ball point
pen began with Laszlo Josef Biro who
invented the initial concept but it was
the intuition and tenacity of Baron
Marcel Bich and his partner Edouard
Buffard that turned the initial idea into
the pen we know today. Marcel Bich built
upon Biro’s basic pen design and spent
time researching the ideal ink formula
and ensuring the design was both
attractive and functional. In December
1950 in Clichy, France, the frst BIC®
Cristal® was brought to market, retailing
at 0.50 French Francs. It was the frst
affordable ball point pen for the masses,
and 60 years on, it is now sold in every
continent around the world.
The BIC® Cristal® stands out from
the crowd for a few reasons. The
design has barely changed since it
was frst manufactured apart from the
introduction of a small hole in the top
its lid for health and safety reasons in
the 1990s. Also, the oil based ink, point
and ball were designed to ensure a
smooth and consistent fow to maximise
comfortable writing.
Independent research was conducted
by the University of Reading in 2010
into the everyday usage of ball point
pens in the UK, and the BIC® Cristal®
pen was proven to write up to two times
longer than most of its usual ball pen
competitors. The research also discovered
that, on average, one BIC® Cristal® pen
is able to write 9,431 signatures, 7,770
phone numbers, 1,475 Christmas cards or
531 crossword puzzles.
As Gonzalve refects on the 60 year
history of the company, he also highlights
BIC®’s focus on sustainability in relation
to its products. ‘We work extremely
hard to ensure our contribution towards
sustainable development is the best it
can be, and strive that our production
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and manufacturing is as environmentally
friendly as possible. As a result of this,
we are very proud that BIC® has been
recognised as the only manufacturer of
writing instruments to receive an NF
Environment stamp of approval, which is
the offcial French ecological certifcation.
Some BIC® products obtained this
eco-label mainly as a result of various
criteria among which limited use of raw
materials, a minimum content of recycled
materials, long-lasting performance of its
writing instruments and the resistance
of its lead, depending on the product
concerned. These are important steps,
which they plan to build on, in the
months and years to come.
Since its inception 60 years ago,
BIC® has developed a suite of stationery
products including the Tipp-Ex® brand
of correction fuid, the BIC® Kids range
of colouring pens and pencils, the
Ecolutions™ range which is largely made
from recycled materials as well as non-
stationery products such as lighters and
shavers.
Gonzalve concludes; ‘There are very
few brands which are able to claim the
longevity and iconic values of the BIC®
Cristal®.We are delighted to celebrate
its 60th anniversary this year and are
looking forward, as a company, to the
next chapter in BIC’s story.’
There are very
few brands
which are able
to claim the
longevity and
iconic values
of the
BIC
®
Cristal
®