Sustainability

Sustainability day after day

In our daily processes and procedures, we have been striving for years to reduce waste and to procure or use goods and operating materials in a resource-saving and sustainable manner. As far as technically possible, we continuously replace consumables and packaging material with environmentally friendly alternatives. The constant dialogue with suppliers, partners and customers is part of our daily work and in line with our ecological responsibility. 

Besides this, we have a very positive attitude towards the issue of sustainability on account of our goods: Preserving, fermenting, homemade products and baking in jars reduce packaging waste, lower global transport costs, jars and bottles are durable and reusable. If damaged, they can be simply and easily returned to the recycling cycle. Incidentally, the same applies to metal packaging, which has the highest recycling rate in Germany (see below). Commercially used plastic packaging is also fed back into the material cycle (with particular attention paid to packaging law). In addition, many of our suppliers already offer packaging made of regrind or recyclate as well as "ocean plastic".

We also complement well known “consumer goods” like WECK jars e.g. with stainless steel handles to make sustainable cups and cocktail glasses or by adding FSC wooden lids to jars to make attractive storage vessels for use at home or for “packaging-free shopping”. This, too, is an active contribution to reducing disposable products and to putting sustainable awareness into practice through actual products.

Examples for already implemented internal optimisations

  • Reduction of paper consumption (digitalisation of processes, introduction of a document management system)
  • Reduction of disposable and deposit bottles through water dispensers in all departments
  • Waste reduction through second/third use of delivered packaging material, e.g. for load securing, as filling material etc.
  • Use of off-peak electricity to charge electric industrial trucks
  • Replacement of adhesive tape with FSC adhesive labels
  • Changeover from multilayer material to unmixed goods (e.g. wrapping foil)
  • General use of FSC-certified papers (consumables, article identification)
  • Separate disposal cycles/returns for sheet metal (8 tons), glass (9 tons), plastic, cardboard (80 tons) and foil (24 tons)
  • Ink cartridges etc. as exchange/returned goods (cyclical system)
  • Internal waste separation
  • Lighting with motion detectors
  • Conversion of trucks to EURO standard 6

Good recycling quota for metal packaging

In addition, the source material (tinplate = tinned sheet steel) is sustainable and often recyclable. Most metal packaging can be recycled as a so-called secondary raw material to create something new from metal - without loss of quality, i.e. without downcycling. Metal packaging has the highest recycling rate of all packaging materials. Packaging steel is 91% recycled in Germany and 80.5% in Europe (source: www.metallverpackungen.de)

Facts about plastic packaging

Re-usability 

Today almost 100% of household packaging in Germany is reused. Of this, 56% is recycled and reprocessed as secondary raw materials. Just 20 years ago, the recycling quota was around 3%.

Material efficiency  

Compared to 1991, plastic packaging is now a good 25% lighter. At the same time, its performance has been increased. To replace plastic with other packaging materials, it would be necessary to use four times the amount of material.

Product protection 

Optimised plastic packaging reduces food waste in the retail trade. In the non-food sector, too, plastic packaging ensures fewer losses during transport and storage, thus saving valuable environmental resources.

Consumer protection

Plastic packaging protects its contents from spoilage and damage and ensures quality, durability and hygiene. Conversely, UN hazardous goods packaging can protect the environment from toxic or highly flammable contents. Tamper-evident closures on plastic packaging serve to protect against theft and plagiarism.

Microplastic/Macroplastic 

According to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental Technology in Oberhausen, 446,000 tons of plastic emissions are produced annually. These consist of 26% macroplastics (larger plastic parts, such as plastic bags or other larger plastic waste) and 74% microplastics.

Causes/sources of microplastics

  • Tyre wear
  • Release during waste disposal
  • Abrasion bitumen in asphalt (bitumen is a component of asphalt extracted from petroleum)
  • Pellet losses
  • Drifting from sports and playgrounds
  • Release on construction sites
  • Abrasion of shoe soles
  • Abrasion of plastic packaging
  • Abrasion of road markings
  • Fibre abrasion during textile washing

You can find the complete study here:

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/umsicht/de/dokumente/publikationen/2018/kunststoffe-id-umwelt-konsortialstudie-mikroplastik.pdf (German)

Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental Technology in Oberhausen