1. The Blue Angel

We meet the criteria for the “Blue Angel” ecolabel. The “Blue Angel” is an ecolabel supported by the German government to recognise the protection of people and the environment. It is credible, independent and has been used since 1978 as a guide for environmentally friendly products. Products awarded with the “Blue Angel” meet high standards for the protection of the environment and our health, as well as for the functional characteristics of the products. The company specialising in this labelling, RAL gGmbH, awards the “Blue Angel” and develops the corresponding award criteria.

Key facts about the “Blue Angel”

• The “Blue Angel” is the world’s oldest ecolabel.
• It assesses the environmental sustainability of the entire production process.
• The label has existed since 1978 and is awarded by the independent RAL gGmbH (a subsidiary of the RAL Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung e. V.).
• RAL was certified in 1992 by the European Commission as a “Competent Body” (Member of the European Union Ecolabelling Board).
• Regular in-house and external monitoring ensures adherence to regulations after after the initial review for the “Blue Angel” accreditation.
• The quality and inspection regulations are accessible for anyone to view.
• In order for a product to conform to the “Blue Angel”, it must meet strict requirements throughout the entire production process. Among other things, this includes the paper used, metallic print formats, printing inks, paint and film as well as materials such as glue and cleaning agents.
• Another factor is the economical use of energy and resources, as well as the continuous reduction of energy and resource consumption.
• The paper must be 100% recycled and contain no fresh wood components to protect forests.
• Certain chemicals and toxic substances are forbidden in favour of environmentally friendly alternatives.
• During the recycling process, all colours, coatings and adhesives must derive from almost 100% paper fibres so that these can be reused for paper production. This is tested using a so-called deinking test.
• Reducing contaminants also decreases the health risks for employees in paper production and printing facilities.
• Waste management is continuously monitored, controlled and adapted.

2. Paper from sustainably managed forests

The aim of our business policy is to use paper whose wood comes from responsibly managed forests. That’s why we are certified under strict FSC® and PEFC regulations. These seals of approval guarantee that high ecological standards are met throughout the entire production chain.
As part of our collaboration and contact with our suppliers, we specifically avoid paper that comes from the following sources:

• illegally sourced wood
• genetically modified wood
• wood that comes from forests in need of special protection
• wood that comes from forests in the vicinity of serious social conflict.

3. Use of mineral oil-free printing inks

We use printing inks based on sustainable raw materials and without added mineral oils in our web and sheet-fed offset printing, wherever possible.  

4. Responsible energy consumption

We are certified according to DIN ISO 50001 for our energy management system. This allows us to continuously optimise the energy and resource consumption of our processes.

5. Carbon-neutral printing through CO2 compensation

We carbon-neutral printing upon request. We calculate the energy requirement and CO2 emissions for each carbon-neutral print order and carefully consider the materials to be used in each production step. Customers who wish to print in a carbon-neutral manner can purchase emissions certificates from our partner First Climate, depending on the CO2 emissions. These emissions certificates correspond to the gold standard for carbon offsetting projects, as developed in 2003 by experts from the World Wildlife Fund and other environmental organisations. Having placed your carbon-neutral print order, you can show your support for carbon offsetting projects with a certified logo and an identification number in the imprint of your product.