Despite a clear trend towards greater consumption of digital media, which has also led to fundamental changes in journalism and publishing, physical printed products are still a familiar sight on our bookshelves to this day and can be found on newspaper stands at newsagents or in bookshops. As trees are a vital resource and also the source of the pulp used to produce the paper, it is even more important that these different types of printed matter are produced in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
Setting clear criteria for the printing sector for ten years
Printed matter certified with the Blue Angel (DE-UZ 195) has to comply with strict criteria with respect to the consumption of resources, low-emission production processes and the proportion of recycled paper. The ecolabel of the German federal government has been certifying environmentally friendly printed matter made out of recycled paper in accordance with these criteria since 2015.
Printing companies who already hold this ecolabel were invited to share a collaborative post on Instagram from the two accounts for the Blue Angel ecolabel and the German Environment Agency (UBA) to mark the tenth anniversary of the ecolabel and the annual “Day of the Tree” in spring 2025. The aim was to ensure that the pioneering role played by these printing companies in the environmentally friendly production of newspapers, books, prospectuses, brochures, flyers and posters was also highlighted on social media. Incidentally, 91 printing companies are currently authorised to produce printed matter certified with the Blue Angel ecolabel. And there are an impressive 690 holders of the ecolabel in total – which includes both customers and printing companies!
Using a combination of B2B ecolabels that supplement and are closely aligned with one another makes a real difference. The new ecolabel for printing inks, inkjet inks and toners (DE-UZ 237) is designed to ensure that the certified printing inks have a significantly lower impact on the environment and health during their production and use. It minimises or completely excludes the use of pollutants such as PFAS, heavy metals, particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The ecolabel ensures that the printing products have a high level of recyclability, which must be verified in deinking tests of the inks and recycled paper. It also includes strict criteria that ensure the most important oils and their derivatives are sourced from renewable raw materials, which helps to protect natural forests. As a B2B ecolabel that is closely aligned with the ecolabel for printed matter (DE-UZ 195), it makes applying for the ecolabel for environmentally friendly printed matter easier.