Environmentally Friendly Printed Matters (DE-UZ 195)

Printed matter such as newspapers, magazines, books, catalogues, prospectuses, advertising inserts, brochures, flyers, calendars, operating instructions, posters and billboards are widely disseminated. Energy and resources such as paper and ink are required for their production. The printing process and the cleaning of the machines can lead to the emission of volatile organic solvents that contribute to the production of ozone and "summer smog".  In a comparison of their impact on ecological systems, those paper products made out of recovered paper perform significantly better in terms of their use of resources, waste water load and water and energy consumption than paper products made predominantly from virgin fibres. Therefore, the use of paper with a high proportion of recovered paper contributes to the preservation of resources, especially ecosystems such as forests, and to a reduction in waste during the manufacture of printed matter. In addition, the printed matter should allow for the recycling of its paper fibres through the use of suitable inks, varnishes and adhesives. Optimising procedures during the printing process can also reduce energy usage, waste paper and air and water emissions. Printed matter that has been awarded the Blue Angel environmental label thus represents an environmentally-friendly alternative to standard printed matter available on the market.

Are you looking for the right printing company for your printed matter? Then simply click on the category “Printing companies” lower down on the right-hand side. You will find all of the certified printing companies there. Alternatively, open the XLS file (Excel list) you will find there or the PDF file located on the right-hand side of the website. These files also provide you with a summary of all the printing companies and the printed matter that they produce.

Printing and publication papers and cardboard made out of 100% recovered paper that come under the scope of DE-UZ 14a and DE-UZ 56 should always be used wherever possible. This is especially true for durable and high-quality printed matter such as brochures or books.

Printing and publication papers primarily made from recovered paper (e.g. for high-speed newspaper printing presses) come under the scope of DE-UZ 72.