FSC®-certified (FSC-C012530)
This certifies that a forest meets the highest standard of social and environmental standards. Ultimately, this gives you and the consumer the assurance that wood and paper products are being sustainable grown and harvested and are not harming the worlds forest. You will see the ‘Tick Tree’ logo which symbolises the FSC certification, on products that have been used from an FSC certified forest.
(PEFC/02-31-196)
The PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certifies forests are managed in-line with social and environmental standards that protect the forestry industry as a whole and maintains that sustainable that is crucial to the environment and for the longevity of wood and paper availability. The PEFC certification tracks the products from growth to utilisation in products, so just the FSC certification, the PEFC logo assures that the material was harvested with sustainability in mind.
Federal Climate Change Act
This act strives to ensure the there is a worldwide target of protecting the planet against the effects of global warming and that changes are made to support this aim. To achieve this goal the Climate Change Act set out a target to reduce the number of harmful effects incurred on the environment to keep the increase in world temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius.
Compliance with EN 13430
The EN 13430 relates to the recycling of packing materials and the commitment to increasing the ability for consumers to recycle packaging on products that they purchase. It also relates to the reduction of needless refuse from single use packaging and reducing this greatly.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/2235
Bisphenol A is a chemical substance widely used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. BPA is currently classified as reproductive toxicant category 1B under the EU CLP Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 and is banned in a number of consumer products for babies and children.
European Chemicals Regulation – REACH
REACH is a regulation of the European Union, which was created to improve the protection of the environment and of human health from risks that some chemicals pose. REACH also helps to promote alternative methods for the hazard assessment of substances in a bid to reduce the amount of animal testing conducted. REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals and essentially it forces companies to accept responsibility for the cessation of using banned chemicals that are a threat to humans and the environment.
EC1935/2004 & FDA (175.105)
These regulations set out specific requirements for food contact materials (FCMs) to protect the food standards and ensure that food safety is the priority. The requirements are as follows:
- FCMs shall not release their constituents into food at levels harmful to human health or change food composition, taste and odour in an unacceptable way;
- EU may set specific measures for certain groups of materials and articles (i.e, plastics). When a specific measure is adopted, business operators must provide written declaration of compliance (DOC) ;
- Business operators must establish a traceability system for FCMs from production to distribution;
- Labelling: Materials and articles, which are not yet in contact with food when they are placed on the market shall be labelled with the words ‘for food contact’, or a specific indication as to their use or the symbol below:
EN 13432 Compliant
This regulation is the standard for requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation. It requires plastics to disintegrate after 12 weeks and have completely biodegraded after 6 months, which means that at least 90% of the plastic will have been converted to CO2. The rest is to be converted into water or biomass such as valuable compost.
OK Compost Certified
Any products or packaging featuring the OK Compost Industrial label carry a guarantee that they are biodegradable within an industrial composting plant. This applies to all components of the packaging including inks and additives.
ISO 9000:2015 Accredited
ISO 9001:2015 specifies requirements for a quality management system when an organization:
a) needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and
b) aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
All the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 are generic and are intended to be applicable to any organization, regardless of its type or size, or the products and services it provides.
Soil Association
The Soil Association represent and certify all things green related in the UK from farming to food production. They are the certifiers for the banning of single-use plastics and provide support throughout the majority of the eco-friendly related aspects in the country.
Packaging and Waste Directive
The Packaging Directive aims to
- harmonise national measures on packaging and the management of packaging waste
- provide a high level of environmental protection
- ensure the good functioning of the internal market
The latest amendment to the Directive contains updated measures to
- prevent the production of packaging waste, and
- promote the reuse, recycling and other forms of recovering of packaging waste, instead of its final disposal
Among other rules, by end of 2024, EU countries should ensure that producer responsibility schemes are established for all packaging. The Directive also sets the following specific targets for recycling.
