Blue Angel - the oldest EcoLabel
The BLUE ANGEL (German: Blauer Engel) is the oldest eco-label in the world, widely used primarily in Germany and the rest of Western Europe. Since 1978, the Blue Angel has been a benchmark for environmentally friendly products and services, selected by an independent jury according to established and publicly available criteria. It focuses primarily on the processing of raw materials and the manufacture of the final product to minimise negative environmental impacts throughout the production process.
The Blue Angel is a type I environmental label according to EN ISO 14024 'Environmental labels and declarations. Type I environmental labelling. Principles and procedures'. Blue Angel was used as a model for the development of this ISO standard, on which, in turn, many new global environmental labels are based today.
Today, more than 20,000 different products and services provided by more than 1,600 companies worldwide hold this certification. When consumers choose a product or service with the Blue Angel label, they can be confident that they are doing something good for themselves, the environment and the future.
Dla jakich produktów lub usług można uzyskać Blue Angel?
There are criteria being developed for each product group that must be met to obtain the Blue Angel label. Currently, criteria have been developed for more than 200 categories of products and services. These include among others everyday products, furniture, wood, paper, plastic products or car-sharing services. The Blue Angel label can also be obtained for products for which basic criteria have not yet been developed, by sending a proposal to the owner of the standard.
To keep up with technological developmentadvances, the German Federal Environment Agency reviews these criteria every three to four years. With this approach, suppliers are required to continuously improve the environmental friendliness of their products.
Benefits
- High label recognition - research carried out by the Federal Environment Agency in Germany shows that 90% of consumers are aware of the Blue Angel label
- Increased sales - 23% of consumers say that the eco-label influences their purchasing decision
- International reach - Blue Angel is an 'Ecolabel made in Germany' and the good international reputation of German environmental policy influences its positioning
- Competitive advantage in B2B transactions - Blue Angel is an important decision criterion for public procurement and B2B transactions in Germany
Blue Angel at TÜV NORD Polska
We are pleased to announce that the certification body TUV NORD Polska has been approved by RAL gGmbH to provide services involving the verification of the required documents. We can perform the verification for you according to the following criteria allocated to the product groups:
- DE-UZ 5: Sanitary paper products made of recycled paper
- DE-UZ 14a: Graphic paper and cardboard made from 100% waste paper (recycled paper and cardboard)
- DE-UZ 30a: Products made from recycled plastics
- DE-UZ 35: Wallpapers and woodchip wall coverings primarily made of recycled paper
- DE-UZ 56: Recycled cardboard
- DE-UZ 65: Unbleached paper filters for use with hot and boiling water
- DE-UZ 72: Printing and Publication Paper made primarily from Waste Paper
- DE-UZ 76: Low-Emission Panel-Shaped Materials (Construction and Furnishing Panels) for Interior Construction
- DE-UZ 156: Flooring underlays
- DE-UZ 176: Low-Emission Floor Coverings, Panels and Doors for Interiors made of Wood and Wood-Based Materials
- DE-UZ 177: Remanufactured toner cartridges and ink cartridges for printers, copiers and multifunction devices
- DE-UZ 208: Nappies, feminine hygiene and incontinence products (absorbent hygiene products, AHP)
- DE-UZ 217a Paper made from 100% recovered paper for paper bags and boxes
- DE-UZ 223: Thermal papers
How to get the Blue Angel?
- Identify the product or service for which you wish to get the Blue Angel label
- Find the relevant criteria (Basic Award Criteria) at www.blauer-engel.de or call us - we will be happy to assist you in selecting the right standard
- Prepare documentation according to the selected criteria (or use an external consultant)
- Contact TÜV NORD Polska to determine the duration and cost of verification (if required). Verification is usually a 1-day on-site audit.
- Submit your application via the RAL Web-Portal: https://portal.ral-umwelt.de/
To obtain a customer number, complete the application form and send it to umweltzeichen@ral.de.
RAL will verify your application and the enclosed documentation and, if successful, will sign an agreement with your company for the use of the Blue Angel label. You can now label your product with the Blue Angel label. Information about your product will also be included in the database of products and companies on the official Blue Angel website RAL gGmbH will charge a one-off application fee and annual fees, the amount of which depends on the annual revenue from the sale of Blue Angel-labelled products. The rates can be found at https://www.blauer-engel.de/en/certification/costs-applying-label
We invite you to contact us
