Packaging

Packaging concept

We are committed to ecological agriculture that interferes with nature as little as possible and brings together the best of nature in a meaningful way. But organic alone is not good enough for us! That is why we do not make any compromises when it comes to packaging.

Our premise is: We only package as much as is absolutely necessary and as little as possible. Our product packaging is always designed in an ecologically sensible manner. This is our claim. And that is what you as our customer expect from us – and rightfully so.

We have fundamentally revised our packaging concept in recent months. This came about because we wanted to find the ideal packaging solution for each of our 200 or so products. We wanted it to not impair the product, product safety and quality, but also be as sustainable as possible. To achieve this objective, we sat down with experts in recycling and waste management and put each individual package to the test.

Where packaging cannot be avoided, our goal is to design packaging that is consistently and optimally recyclable. Therefore, we are committed to the strategy of closed-loop economy according to the guidelines ‘avoidance and reduction of packaging’. This is the correct way to achieve our ideal goal, the ‘Cradle to Cradle’ principle. Because when materials circulate in closed material cycles, the amount of produced waste can be significantly reduced. You can find further information here.

The packaging transition was a mammoth project. But the result is impressive! Within a short period of time, we succeeded in analysing and evaluating approximately 200 products and converting them with regard to excellent recyclability. More than 87 % of our product packaging is now already highly recyclable and can this carry the ‘Made for Recycling’-seal.

Recyclability

A brief summary of our commitment to optimal recyclability:

• All packaging materials have been and/or will be checked for recyclability and replaced, if necessary.
• We avoid combining different materials, because composite material is bad for recyclability. Therefore, we use only mono-materials (single-layer films, paper bags, glass and tins), if possible.
• We are constantly working to completely change our product packaging and to optimise it again and again according to the latest findings and technical possibilities.
• Our goal: To guarantee excellent recyclability for all our products and to have it confirmed by the ‘Made for Recycling’-seal from an independent body.
• Our approach: As little packaging material as possible – and only as much as necessary.
• The majority of successfully converted packaging carries the ‘Made for Recycling’-seal on the packaging. For some of our products, however, we could not add the symbol on the product due to space constraints.

‘Made for Recycling’-seal

We are the first food brand to be allowed to carry the new ‘Made for Recycling’-seal on our packaging. This is because we are consistently pursuing our goal of converting all packaging in such a way that it is optimally recyclable.

The new seal shows at a quick glance whether a package is easily recyclable; in other words, it indicates if you can quickly separate and assign it to the intended collection system, where it will be sorted by machines so that the materials can be recovered for reuse.

Certification and awarding of the official ‘Made for Recycling’-seal is carried out on behalf of the environmental and recycling service provider Interseroh, in accordance with the criteria standardised by bifa Umweltinstitut GmbH and confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV as neutral independent bodies.

Evaluation of a packaging includes the following criteria:

• Material analysis of all packaging components
• Evaluation of the packaging material with regard to assignability to the collection system, colouring, decoration (e.g. labelling, printing), closure, adhesives, material components, recycling and preparation
• Determination of sorting and whereabouts or assignability to a fraction as well as display of the possibility and types of further processing
• Analysis of the possibility of processing secondary materials
• Consideration of the probability of recycling against the background of marketing opportunities

More information about the seal can be found here:

Packaging with a high proportion of recycled material

Our goal is to continuously check our product packaging for sustainability and recycling aspects. As soon as there are new, even better packaging materials on the market, we aim to use them for our products as well. For example, this is the case for our squeeze bottles with practical dispensing function, in which you can get our honeys (acacia, forest and blossom honey), our agave syrup and our BioKids cocoa spread.
Since packaging with a high percentage of recycled material has been available for food packaging, we use it for our squeeze bottles. This allows us to combine two aspects that are important to us: practical functionality (dispensing function) of the packaging for you and the highest possible sustainability for our environment.

Grass cardboard & grass paper

In the course of the packaging transition, we did not only put product packaging to the test, but also transport packaging. The outer packaging for the products of our own production was converted to cardboard boxes made of 70% grass paper. The grass cardboard was also awarded the ‘Made for Recycling’-seal.

Grass-based pulp scores higher in the life cycle assessment than the alternatives sulphate pulp and recycled paper in terms of:

• CO₂ balance
• Energy consumption
• Transport
• Conservation of the resource wood

CO₂ emissions for the grass cardboard transport packaging from the company’s own production are thus reduced by 33%.

Other things we do

Our major topics are the power of nature, which provides the natural, original taste of our organic products, as well as excellent recyclability of our product packaging. But we do even more. We are involved in many large and small projects concerning sustainability, all of which have one objective: to place as little burden on the environment as possible.