Electrifying clothes: Mode for Recycling!
Another fantastic finale for ERP Poland’s eye-catching environmental campaign
Mode for Recycling is a very special initiative in which environmental protection meets fashion and art.
Polish clothes designer, Anna Kubisz invited children and teenagers to make creations from parts taken from electronic waste. In the process, the young people learned what to do with e-waste and used batteries.
“It is very important to separate waste carefully, especially the most dangerous waste to the environment, such as electronic waste,” explains Anna Kubisz. “But the most important thing is not to produce new garbage or new clothes.”
“It is said that the amount of clothes circulating in the world now is so large that it is enough for all the inhabitants of the Earth and it’s not necessary to produce new ones. The new trend is to appear in the same dress several times, change accessories, use something that you already have in the wardrobe and give a second life to clothes!”
The second edition of Mode for Recycling ended on 2 September 2021 with a star-studded fashion show. Polish theatre and TV stars showed off the beautiful eco-clothes, watched by all the young people involved in the workshops who came to see their work.
ERP Poland is grateful to Anna Kubisz for being so generous with her talent and would like to thank all the communities and cities that participated in the campaign.
“Most importantly, we would like to thank all the children and young people who worked so hard at the workshops,” acknowledged Mikolaj Józefowicz, head of ERP Poland. “We are happy that our initiative attracted so many young people. It is uplifting to see that the new generation is willing to work hard and is open to the idea of a new world based on a circular economy. We would also like to give thanks to the media who covered our project extensively.”
You can check out the fashion show – and other campaigns – on ERP Poland’s YouTube channel.
Green Alley Award 2022: The Latest Circular Economy Business Ideas
With the Green Alley Award, the Landbell Group has launched the first European start-up prize for the circular economy. As of now, young companies can submit their application for the Green Alley Award 2022 online at www.green-alley-award.com and get the chance to win €25,000. A jury of experienced professionals from Landbell Group and external experts will determine the winner following a live pitch, which will take place in April 2022.
“We want to encourage new ideas and business models to save resources and reduce waste,’ says Jan Patrick Schulz, CEO of Landbell Group. ‘There are so many creative ideas around. Our aim is to foster and promote young founders and connect them to our vast network of circular economy experts across Europe.”
The startup award is also of interest to companies looking to the future: The Green Alley Award unearths promising sustainable business solutions before they enter the mass market and offers established companies new sustainable alternatives to improve their products, services and supply chains. From sustainable materials to helpful digital solutions, the startups offer a wide range of concepts for different industries. Last year, traceless materials from Hamburg, Germany, won the award with a patent-pending technology that converts residual materials from the agricultural industry into a sustainable plastic alternative. In 2017, Finnish start-up Sulapac had presented a wood-based, biodegradable alternative to cosmetics packaging. The first winner of the Green Alley Award, Finnish start-up Repack, developed a service offering reusable shipping packaging for online retailers.
On our new website potential sponsors and partners can find out the many advantages of working with circular economy startups: http://landbell-group.com/green-alley-award/
Your opinion matters: ZSVR to revise criteria on system participation
Germany’s Central Agency Packaging Register (Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister, ZSVR) has started a consultation on the 2021 edition of its system participation requirement catalogue. First published in 2018, the catalogue and its product groups have since been regularly updated and specified.
The catalogue allows producers to quickly and easily determine whether or not their packaging is subject to system participation. According to the German Packaging Law (Verpackungsgesetz, VerpackG), producers are responsible for ensuring that their packaging is classified correctly and, if necessary, is contracted with a packaging scheme.
The draft version of the catalogue consists of a total of 39 product sheets which can be viewed and downloaded from the ZSVR website’s consultation procedures section, including new and amended products.
Stakeholders can comment on the draft until Wednesday, 8 September 2021 via post or preferably electronically via konsultationsverfahren@verpackungsregister.org.
After the consultation period, the catalogue will be revised and voted on again. The final version is expected to be published on the ZSVR website in autumn replacing the current catalogue.
Landbell launches free PACK2RECYCLE online tool for customers
Landbell launches free PACK2RECYCLE online tool for customers
Recyclable packaging is key to a functioning circular economy. By keeping important raw materials in the loop, we can actively contribute to climate and resource protection.
As an environmental and waste disposal specialist, Landbell began offering its customers professional support for evaluating and optimising the recyclability of their packaging in 2020 with PACK2RECYCLE.
Now, since 1 June 2021, Landbell customers are able to register free of charge with the PACK2RECYCLE online tool to receive initial feedback on their packaging’s recyclability.
The online tool, which was developed by Landbell, provides a simple query mask in which customers can enter their packaging data, such as material type, colour and size. The tool then generates a report which shows the recyclability of the packaging.
An overview page gives customers constant access to all the packaging that they entered, including the result of the recyclability. However, the tool provides only an estimate of the recyclability and cannot not replace a professional assessment based on the minimum standard of the Central Packaging Register (ZSVR).
For a more detailed assessment according to the ZSVR minimum standard or for certification with the PACK2RECYCLE label, please contact us.
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.
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...