The Environmental Label Jury agreed on the criteria for two new ecolabels at its winter meeting:

Organic growing media and potting soils (DE-UZ 234)

KOMMUNALE is a specialist trade fair that allows professionals in the sector to exchange ideas and information on all themes relevant to public procurement. This includes digitalisation, IT security, sustainability, the energy transition, the public sphere and mobility.

Ecolabels provide consumers with guidance so that they can engage in sustainable and environmentally conscious consumption. However, the fact that companies can simply design and use their own labels is a problem. Companies often do this to give themselves a “greener” image – even if they have not actually taken any measures to protect the climate and environment or the measures they have taken are insufficient. This phenomenon is known as “greenwashing”.

Ink cartridges and toner cartridges for office equipment with printing function (such as printers, copiers and multifunction devices) are replaced once the ink or toner in them has been used up. Due to the high utilisation of these types of devices, it can be assumed that a significant amount of waste comprising several million empty modules and cartridges will be generated every year, unless the empty cartridges are remanufactured and reused.

Although people living in our climate spend most of their time indoors, either at the office or at home, they rarely associate the quality of the indoor air with their well-being and comfort. This is despite the fact that some ingredients in wall paints and furnishings can increase the concentrations of pollutants in the indoor air completely unnoticed – especially if they have been used to cover large surfaces.