... that the Olympic medals for Tokyo 2020 are made from recycled electronic goods like your smartphone?
... that the Olympic medals for Tokyo 2020 are made from recycled electronic goods like your smartphone?
Normally, the Olympic Games are not known for sustainability and climate protection. In July 2021, however, the greenest and lowest-emission Olympic Games of all time are to take place in Tokyo.
The event organisers collected about 80,000 tonnes of metal from small household appliances, such as used mobile phones, to create the 5,000 gold, silver and bronze medals. To make the medal podiums for the Games, hard-to-recycle plastic is collected from thousands of stores across the country and the ocean.
Furthermore, the organisers are aiming to ensure that 99% of the items and goods procured for the Olympics, and 65% of the waste generated from its operations, will be reused or recycled by fine waste separation. Cardboard beds and the mattresses for athletes will be fully recyclable after use.
However, a prerequisite for functioning recycling is always the correct separation of waste. This is the only way to create new products without using new resources. You can find more information on the correct waste separation here.
How we are responding to the global expansion of EPR
Landbell Group publishes its annual performance report for 2020
“Despite the unprecedented difficulties, the world in which our customers operate did not stand still last year. More governments implemented extended producer responsibility (EPR) to tackle their waste and resource problems. Consequently, more companies had to stay on the right side of the laws that they introduced.”
These are the opening words from CEO Jan Patrick Schulz in Landbell Group’s annual performance report, which was published at the end of May. The major theme of the report, which covers the group’s activities last year, is the global expansion of EPR.
The report describes how Landbell Group is helping producers to tackle this increasingly international challenge.
In Europe and the Middle East, Landbell Group’s producer responsibility organisations treated over 760,000 tonnes of waste batteries, electronics and packaging last year – and the group increased its customer base to more than 32,000 companies in 55 countries.
The group’s environmental and chemical consulting teams added more countries to their international compliance programmes, and the global takeback team also expanded its network.
Online, Landbell Group relaunched its EASy-Shop for packaging compliance, enhanced its regulatory tracking service to cover more than 130 countries, and introduced One2One, a digital platform for online retailers to meet their takeback obligations for WEEE.
These are just some of the ways that Landbell Group is striving to support its customers in all their markets. For more information, read the full report here.
New online label for packaging licensing
The German Packaging Law (VerpackG) requires producers and distributors of sales packaging to fulfil their producer responsibility obligations and register their packaging with a packaging scheme to ensure proper collection and recycling – regardless of whether the sales packaging ends up as waste with the consumer or at comparable locations.
The Packaging Law applies to large mail-order companies, as well as small online retailers, even if their headquarters are based abroad. And since the law does not provide for a de-minimis limit, it even applies to the smallest quantities.
To allow Landbell customers to show their compliance with the above-mentioned obligations to their own customers and business partners, Landbell has developed an online label for packaging licensing.
With this online label, Landbell customers can prove that they are licensing their packaging with Landbell’s packaging scheme and are therefore fulfilling their obligations under the Packaging Law.
The online label is exclusively available to Landbell customers, and can be easily displayed on a webshop or in social media posts. It will be available in German, English and Italian.
Landbell’s certified and independent packaging scheme has been operating since August 2003, providing national and pan-European services. Founded in 1995 as a waste management company in Germany, Landbell Group has since developed into a global service provider.
Today, the company operates 32 takeback schemes worldwide for various waste streams and ensures over 32,000 customers in more than 50 countries fulfil their extended producer responsibility obligations. In 2020, Landbell Group collected over 760,000 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and packaging.
Please contact us for more information.
Eco-friendly packaging design with PACK2RECYCLE
Sustainability is a hot topic these days, especially when it comes to packaging, as studies suggest that sustainable product packaging is becoming more and more important to consumers.
The main criterium is recyclability, which aims to keep important raw materials in the loop, thereby actively contributing to climate protection.
As a leading supplier of environmental compliance solutions, Landbell Group started offering its customers professional support for evaluating and optimising the recyclability of packaging in 2020 with PACK2RECYCLE.
This modular solution can be individually tailored to customers’ needs and takes into account additional criteria to those developed by the Central Agency Packaging Register in Germany.
PACK2RECYCLE is a partnership between Landbell Group and the consultancy, Forschgruen.
Forschgruen has been offering comprehensive consulting and other services related to extended producer responsibility, and the corresponding legislation, for more than 20 years. Their services cover packaging and other waste streams, in Germany, Europe and worldwide.
After successful certification, producers whose packaging is particularly recyclable (it contains at least 80% recyclable material) can mark their packaging with the PACK2RECYCLE label. This label is traceable thanks to a unique ID and provides reliable proof that the manufacturer is using recyclable packaging.
In addition to the PACK2RECYCLE label, Landbell Group also offers its customers:
- The Landbell Climate Protection Certificate, confirming that packaging licensed by the customer is largely recycled and kept in the raw material loop.
- The Landbell Online Label, demonstrating that Landbell Germany customers are fulfilling their extended producer responsibility obligations and contributing to the recycling system.
- The European Recycling Platform (ERP) membership badge, showing ERP customers are also complying with their extended producer responsibility obligations by joining a scheme.
Please click here for more information about PACK2RECYCLE.
...how to properly dispose of your empty medicine packaging?
...how to properly dispose of your empty medicine packaging?
The sun is finally making an appearance again and the cold season is over. But where to put the empty medicine packaging? Cough syrup, fever suppositories or cold ointments come in a wide variety of packaging, all of which need to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. It is always important to remember that medicine packaging may only be disposed of when it is completely empty.
Blister or push-through packaging
Medicines in the form of tablets, capsules or similar are often shrink-wrapped in so-called blister packaging. These packages made of plastic and aluminium foil belong in the yellow bin or the yellow bag. This also applies to plastic medicine cans.
Ointment tubes
Ointments, gels and the like are often sold in aluminium tubes. These also belong in the yellow bin or the yellow bag. Do not forget: Unscrew the plastic lid and throw it separately in the packaging waste. If the tubes are made entirely of plastic, they also belong in the yellow bin or the yellow bag.
Ointment jars
Ointments are also available in jars - for example, when they are mixed in the pharmacy. These jars are usually made of plastic and can be thrown into the yellow bin or the yellow bag.
Pump sprays and spray cans
Pump sprays made of plastic also belong in the yellow bin or the yellow bag. The same applies to spray cans made of aluminium, such as those used for spray plasters. Caution: The spray cans must be completely empty. If there are still residues, they can catch fire or explode.
Pharmaceutical glass containers
Glass containers for medicines - from vials to jars - are disposed of in the glass container, according to the colour in the container for white, brown or green glass.
Outer packaging and package inserts
Cardboard packaging and paper package inserts should be disposed of in the paper container.
You can also find more information on the correct waste separation here.
German Packaging Act amendment 2021 - Important modifications
On 20 January 2021 Germany’s Federal Cabinet approved a new Draft Law transposing the Single Use Plastics Directive (EU Plastics Directive 2019) and the Waste Framework Directive into the Packaging Act. This is intended to bring the Packaging Act into line with the current EU directives and to improve its enforcement. The law is expected to come into force as of 3 July 2021.
Important note: As the legislative process is currently ongoing, changes may still occur until the Law has been adopted.
We have summarised the most important changes for you here.
You can also find more detailed and comprehensive information at www.verpackungsgesetz-info.de.
…that recycling already took place in ancient times?
…that recycling already took place in ancient times?
Archaeologists have proven that metal and glass were collected, melted down and reworked at that time. Scrap metal collectors roamed the streets of ancient cities and collected discarded metals. The recycling of scrap metals and glass is proven by the fact that archaeologists could hardly find any metals or glass in ancient households. It is also known from ancient Rome that thousands of statues made of bronze and copper were not only destroyed by the Christians there, but also melted down and recycled into new things. It is also reported that after the end of the Roman Empire grave robbers searched graves for recyclable material such as glass or metal. Grave robbery took on such proportions that in the years between 500 and 900 A.D., the mining of metal ores declined sharply.
Let's take an example from our ancestors. You can find out how today's waste separation works on the website: www.muelltrennung-wirkt.de. Landbell is part of the initiative of the dual schemes "mülltrennung-wirkt.de”
Landbell Group and DIN CERTCO develop packaging recyclability certificate
Landbell Group and DIN CERTCO develop packaging recyclability certificate
Sustainability has become an important decision-making factor in the packaging industry. Driven by increasing consumer demand for sustainable packaging, retailers and manufacturers need to follow suit. One of the most important elements in this context is recyclability. The overall goal: keeping essential raw materials in the loop and thus protecting the environment.
DIN CERTCO, which is the certification company of the TÜV Rheinland Group, is highly renowned for its independence, neutrality and competence. In cooperation with Landbell Group, DIN CERTCO is developing an independent certificate for the recyclability of packaging.
“Sustainability and circular economy are two of the topics that will heavily influence our lives in the coming decades. Our company is dedicated to contributing to this transformation. We are glad to cooperate with Landbell Group and have them advising us on developing the test standard, so we can ensure that companies have useful guidance for their packaging design,” says Robert Zorn, managing director of DIN CERTCO.
The “DINplus recyclability” certificate can be obtained from DIN CERTCO. The main focus of the certification is the evaluation of the packaging’s recyclability in accordance with paragraph 21 of the German Packaging Law, the DIN EN 13430 standard and other criteria. Companies can apply for certification here and have the recyclability of their packaging assessed and certified by an independent and neutral body.
“Climate change is becoming more and more apparent – and is putting one question at the centre of public debate: How can we use our finite resources more efficiently? Recycling is a crucial factor in closing the loop. We are glad that many manufacturers are increasingly aware of their responsibility and want to have the recyclability of their packaging checked. In this way, they are helping to reduce packaging waste. When we heard that DIN CERTCO was going to develop certification for recyclability, we were happy to support them with our experience and expertise,” says Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Landbell Group.
For more information, please contact us here.
Packaging licensing has never been so EASy...
Our Landbell Group EASy-Shop has a new look! For more than 10 years now, we have been offering shop
operators and stationery retailers a transparent and simple online platform for licensing small and medium
packaging quantities - in Germany AND Austria. With over 20,000 active customers, we are one of the largest
online take-back schemes. Customer focus has always been our top priority. That is why we have worked on
making the EASy-Shop even easier for our customers. EASy-Shop allows our customers to concentrate on their
core business and we take care of the rest - 100% legally compliant!
Discover our new EASy-Shop here!
The "new" Landbell EASy-Shop
In August, it`s time for the relaunch of our Landbell Group EASy-Shop – it’s more transparent, more
user-friendly and more EASy! For over 10 years, shop operators and stationery dealers have licensed their
small and medium packaging quantities online in the Landbell Group EASy-Shop. The "new" EASy-Shop
makes it even easier for them. Be curious...