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Ecolabels & Sustainability Labels

How you can identify sustainable packaging

Labels and eco-labels exist today in a wide variety of areas and pursue a wide range of objectives. The Label Online database currently lists around 700 of the useful seals that enable the supplier to communicate visually with the consumer. The logos are supposed to help the consumer to make consciously sustainable (purchase) decisions without having acquired a great deal of prior knowledge about the product. Especially in the food sector, for example, the use of seals is now a common medium for conveying values.

Also in the packaging industry, there are now labels that provide consumers with information about the origin of packaging or the materials used in it. In the following you will find the labels that we consider relevant and helpful to identify sustainable packaging:

FSC^® – Forest Stewardship Council^®

FSC^® is an NGO (non-governmental organization) which has made the protection of forests its mission. Members of the organization are individuals and associations as well as representatives of various interest groups. The central concern of the FSC^® is to ensure responsible forest management in accordance with local interests. Today, the FSC^® is represented in over 80 countries worldwide and is therefore internationally active. In addition to wood, FSC^®-certified products include products made of wood or wood fibers, thus paper or cardboard as well. For processing companies in the paper and packaging industry, appropriate FSC^® certification means complete product chain certification: from the forest to the end customer.

Principles: In addition to the rights of indigenous peoples and the safeguarding of biodiversity, the principles of FSC^® also include economic efficiency and product diversity. These goals are achieved by setting and reviewing uniform standards that ensure that social, economic and ecological needs are met. For consumers, the purchase of FSC^®-certified products or packaging guarantees a positive use of global forest resources.

FSC^® at LESER: We, at LESER, have decided to have our product chain certified in order to guarantee production according to the international FSC^® standards and to meet our own standards. Meanwhile, the FSC^® seal exists in various designs and gradations. In our case, our certified packaging carries the “FSC^® Mix” seal. It ensures that the processed wood is at least 70 percent FSC^® certified or approved recycled material and the remaining maximum 30 percent meets Controlled Wood requirements. Feel free to ask us about our FSC^®-certified packaging!

Proximity of suppliers

In addition to other criteria, such as prices and delivery reliability, the choice of suppliers is now also mainly based on the proximity of the location. Because what consumers are becoming increasingly aware of when consuming food today must also be considered in the business environment. Local products mean short transport distances and therefore lower emissions than products from the Far East, for example. The slogan Made in Germany is therefore more applicable than ever. In addition to the high quality of the goods, however, today it also stands for limited CO2 emissions. Cooperation with producers in the immediate vicinity not only supports the local economy but also contributes to the sustainability of the company. An important factor on the way to green packaging, which can be additionally supported by the use of e-vehicles. Moreover, the choice of suppliers close to the company location offers other pragmatic benefits: short delivery times and flexibility.

Other ecolabels

PEFC – sustainable forest management

PEFC stands for Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes and is therefore committed to sustainable forest management. Similar to the FSC^® guidelines, ecological, economic and social criteria are also part of the principles of this certification organization. PEFC operates internationally, is active in 49 countries and, according to its own information, is the largest association of its kind. 258 million hectares of forest are now certified according to PEFC worldwide. In addition to national forest certification systems, the forest trade, forestry and other NGOs are also represented in PEFC.

Product chain certification: The PEFC system also awards its seal to processing companies in the timber industry, monitoring the flow of wood from the forest to the consumer. For packaging and other wood products with the PEFC label, this means that they can be proven to originate from positive forestry.

Note: LESER GmbH Packaging & More is not PEFC-certified itself!

Blauer Engel (Blue Angel) paper

The Blauer Engel eco-label is a seal of approval for particularly environmentally friendly products and services, which is administered and awarded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment. Once the label has been awarded, suppliers can use it on a voluntary basis to label their products, thereby offering consumers particularly sustainable alternatives to conventional products.

The Blauer Engel paper seal is of particular importance for packaging. The logo only identifies paper that consists of 100% waste paper and is therefore completely recycled. This saves valuable resources and reduces the burden on the environment. However, the Blauer Engel does not stand for the complete harmlessness of a product and only distinguishes characteristics that contribute to raising market standards in terms of the environment.

It should also be emphasized at this point that most labels do not certify that products or their packaging are completely harmless. They merely offer consumers a helpful orientation and direct them to environmentally friendly alternatives. Moreover, the uniform certifications give manufacturers the opportunity to optimize the environmental performance of their packaging. For this reason, certification with large, well-known seals appears to be particularly useful from our perspective. This is because these are issued by independent institutions and are subject to strict control mechanisms. In the perception of consumers, these logos may be universally equated with environmental protection, even if the organizations and logos do not generally represent sustainable packaging. For example, only certain packaging materials may be marked with a seal and its associated certification. In principle, therefore, the labels provide consumers with a good overview, but give only limited information about the absolute environmental compatibility of a package.

Contact

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Then contact us! Our packaging consultants will be happy to help you.

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Sustainable packaging

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