As a child, I adored my Faber-Castell coloured pencils: artist sets, watercolours, those cute ones that came in the little tubes… And now I think I know why. In exciting news for my ability to predict the future, the socially-responsible German stationery company is bringing one of my favourite childhood compositions – the smiling trees, smiling mountains, smiling sun combination – a touch closer to reality with the announcement that they have just become the world’s first private company awarded carbon trading approval by the UN. It coincides with Faber-Castell International’s launch of a new sustainable reforestation project in Colombia, just another notch on the belt of their already exemplary environmental record. All this makes them carbon neutral several times over, and this year, thanks for the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism, they will begin dealing in carbon dioxide certificates. But the most interesting fact of all? The Regional Director for Faber-Castell is named – wait for it – Count Andreas von Faber-Castell. Let’s hear it for the Count!