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Greenwashing? Not at Gigaset: Permanently establishing environmental protection at the company
16. October 2020 Published by Raphael DoerrThis post about Greenwashing was published on LinkedIn on October 13, 2020 by Ralf Lueb. The post can be viewed, liked or shared at this link.
It’s less than a year since hundreds of thousands went out on the streets across Germany on climate demonstrations. Environmental protection was the key topic for months in public discourse, and Fridays for Future shifted Germany’s political landscape. Sustainable products, resource-friendly handling of materials, and recycling were not only a (necessary) trend, but also developed into the new maxim – both in the private and public sphere. For many companies, this was a clear sign to adapt to the new expectations of their customers. If they hadn’t already done so, they began to successively make their production methods more ‘eco-friendly’.
Then came coronavirus and forced production at companies worldwide to a temporary halt. After the short-lived joy of the “breather” for the environment, its protection was, however, soon forgotten. Far more topical and urgent was then responding to the pandemic and getting the economy moving again.
Now that the economy has slowly got going again after this hiatus, environmental experts fear that many of the measures adopted before coronavirus to protect the environment could now be neglected for the sake of industry. After all, some of the progress made on environmental protection in the past years is already being revised: The EU, for example, has now extended the schedule for its climate goals under the “Green Deal”. Parts of the comprehensive environmental package will therefore not now be implemented until after 2020.
Far more waste is currently being produced again than before the coronavirus crisis. A topical example of this is the demand for disposable face masks. In light of recent events, a huge, but also a dirty topic. Many manufacturers are also having to revert to plastic packaging due to hygiene regulations, and because people feel insecure, more is being ordered online than ever before, resulting in turn in more packaging waste.
The fact is, we live in turbulent times. We at Gigaset are therefore trying all the more to continue to uphold our values. We have been committed for a long time now to environmentally-friendly production “Made in Germany” and a host of measures within our means to reduce our carbon footprint and protect the environment.
A major topic is packaging, with recyclability and the conscious use of materials setting the tone. Packaging at Gigaset is made up of more than 90% recycling material and has almost completely eliminated plastic elements, with cable ties and plastic bags being replaced instead by paper sleeves. What is special about Gigaset packaging material? It is cellulose-based and, for certain products (the Gigaset smartphones), currently consists, alongside recycled paper, of 30 percent plant fibers. We are, however, already actually working on new, further optimized packaging.
In addition to the material itself, it is primarily the amount that makes the difference. And because the amount of material used is also a deciding factor, Gigaset packs each product in size-optimized packages to conserve resources. That also conveniently ensures a smaller transport volume, so more packages fit into the transport vehicles at the same time, hence there are fewer delivery vans driving through the country. In addition, Gigaset attaches great importance to working with regional suppliers. That not only saves time thanks to short routes, but also CO2 emissions – and it also supports local industry.
Through the compostable packaging, the replaceable batteries in our smartphones and careful water and power consumption, we endeavor to keep our ecological footprint small.
We also best succeed in being environmentally friendly through all telephones at Gigaset being Made in Germany. By doing that we make a clear statement against the globalization trend and stand up for shorter supply routes and regional focus instead of long supply chains. No long flights around the globe are necessary to optimally provide our customers with high-quality phone solutions. That also ultimately pays off – both in times of a pandemic and in the long term for environmental protection. If anyone is interested in the topic of Made in Germany and the related environmental protection, I suggest they visit our homepage.
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