Carbon neutral
In 2009, fairtrade media became the first publishing house for greeting cards and calendars to be listed as carbon neutral. Soil & More bv – a company certified by TÜV-Nord (North German Technical Control Board) – checks the ‘carbon footprint’ left by fairtrade media. The extensive calculations contain both the CO2 production – including distribution and delivery – and the manufacturing of the products. Paper production is also taken into account. The CO2 emissions generated here are balanced by Soil & More composting projects in Johannesburg/South Africa and at a Fairtrade producer in Egypt. Information on these projects is available at www.soilandmore.nl
In order to reduce the amount of CO2 produced by our activities, some of our products have, since 2009, been entrusted to a printing house that uses renewable energy for its electricity and which also certified as carbon neutral.
Forest Stewardship Council
Our greeting cards, hanging tags and calendars are produced using FSC-certified paper. The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) focuses on the management of forests from an environmentally compatible, socially acceptable and economically viable perspective. The method of forest management is evaluated and the principles of the FSC are transferred into national standards in order to take into account aspects specific to individual regions. The integration of all social groups with an interest in the forest and its sustainable management is characteristic of the FSC’s free-enterprise orientation and of its independence from government or association involvement. The label is subject to strict controls. Not only the forest owners, but all links in the processing chain (Chain of Custody) must be certified.
fairtrade media has been FSC-certified as a publishing house since 01.06.2007 under the registration code GFA-COC-001457. Further information on the FSC is available at www.fsc-deutschland.de or www.fsc.org
Blauer Engel
The wrapping paper and notebooks manufactured by fairtrade media had been awarded the Blauer Engel (Blue Angel) from the Deutsches Institut für Gütesicherung und Kennzeichnung (German Institute of Quality Protection and Labelling).
The Blauer Engel (www.blauer-engel.de) is an award for products with minimal environmental pollution. The paper is tested extensively with regard to its production method, composition and processing. Paper is only certified if it is made exclusively of recycled paper. The sorting stipulations for raw materials are strictly regulated and the environmental compatibility of all additional production materials such as printing inks is tested.
Fairtrade
The Fairtrade Labelling Organization International (FLO) has concluded a licence agreement with the CEO of fairtrade media for the utilisation of the FLO brand. Correspondingly, some of our products feature the FLO Label. Information on the Fairtrade Labelling Organization International is available at www.fairtrade.net.
Inks
Our printing inks are free from mineral oil. We use environmentally friendly dispersion varnish in order to counteract the negative environmental impact of the UV varnishing usually associated with greeting cards.
Product manufacturing
A sheltered workshop in the region (www.bonnerwerkstaetten.de) was commissioned with the completion of our products. These workshops enable people with a disability to become integrated into working life.