The SAFEGUARD® Pen with De La Rue
We are proud to announce that Onoto, in collaboration with De La Rue, has launched “The SAFEGUARD® Pen”, a writing instrument that represents more than a century of shared heritage, craftsmanship and innovation.
Available in a limited number, this piece honours legacy while introducing a new narrative, where advanced innovations and sustainability meet traditional handcrafting techniques. De La Rue is the world’s only fully integrated provider of polymer substrate, security features, design, and printing of paper and polymer banknotes for central banks and state printworks. With a primary focus on creating, protecting and sustaining value, “The SAFEGUARD® Pen” demonstrates how that value can be carried forward in entirely new ways.
Each pen is handcrafted using resin embedded with De La Rue’s genuine shredded SAFEGUARD® polymer banknotes, ensuring every piece is unique. What was once circulating currency is transformed into a lasting object of beauty. Its transformation honours both innovation and sustainability, preserving the essence of value while elevating it into a form of enduring utility and beauty.
SAFEGUARD® polymer banknote substrate delivers enhanced durability, security and sustainability. They not only last significantly longer in circulation, but are also fully recyclable at end of life, supporting the circular economy and reducing material waste. Through projects like “The SAFEGUARD® Pen”, it demonstrates how materials from the cash cycle can be extended beyond their original purpose. De La Rue’s broader sustainability efforts show that polymer banknotes contribute to reduced waste and lower environmental impact across the cash cycle.
We are proud to collaborate with De La Rue on this launch, bringing together two brands with a common origin and a shared commitment to excellence. Our history dates back to 1905, where Onoto was founded by De La Rue as a pioneering British writing instrument brand. Designed with a world-first patented plunger-filling mechanism, Onoto quickly became a globally recognised symbol of quality and ingenuity. Onoto pens have long been associated with craftsmanship and prestige, used by prominent figures throughout history including Sir Winston Churchill and Florence Nightingale. Today, we continue to produce finely engineered, hand-crafted writing instruments that are used globally.
Each pen is not only a writing instrument, but a conversation between past purpose and future potential.
More information about SAFEGUARD® polymer substrate can be found here: SAFEGUARD® Polymer Substrate | De La Rue
