Logos FSC PEFC

The packaging specialist Karl Knauer KG from Biberach in Baden has been awarded the environment and sustainability certificates from the FSC and PEFC. The enterprise now offers packaging produced from demonstrably sustainable sources of wood. The certificates allow the uninterrupted documentation of the lifetime of the material used, from the planting of the tree to processing and the finished package. With these certificates Karl Knauer accentuates its profile as an environmentally aware and responsible packaging provider.

Sustainable action from the ground up
Sustainability is not only the latest trend, but also it´s a matter of ecological and social responsibility. Karl Knauer KG assumes this responsibility – sustainability as an economic principle has been a part of the corporate philosophy of Karl Knauer for many years and, therefore, daily common practice, based on the conviction that a rich and fulfilling life is possible only in a clean and healthy environment. For instance, the company obtains its energy from its own photovoltaic system, and has been advising the use of sustainable packaging alternatives for years.
Karl Knauer has long since implemented other building blocks of sustainability: The company’s printing processes are low-alcohol, and with the non-chemical exposure of all printing plates, the use of pollutants is avoided altogether.
And sustainability doesn’t stop there: With the use of geothermics in the near future at Karl Knauer for the cooling and  climate control of production parts, another regenerative source of energy will be implemented, in order to save as many resources in production as possible.
These carefully developed and realized steps ensure that, also in the future, Karl Knauer will remain the same competent and responsible partner that combines innovative and prize-winning packaging creations with ecological and social aspects.

Certificates stand for compliance with the strictest regulations
For these pursuits and actions, among others, Karl Knauer KG was awarded the sustainability certificates of both the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes). These international certificates give the uninterrupted proof that everything from tree farming and processing into paper and cardboard to the packaging production is environmentally compatible, and ensure the customer that the company is acting responsibly. The result: Innovative packaging which can be proved to be produced in accordance with the principles of sustainability. For a better environment and a better future for all of those involved. From the forestry enterprise to the final customer at the POS.
To make sure it stays this way, all processes at Karl Knauer KG are examined yearly by independent certifying agencies on behalf of the FSC and PEFC.
Karl Knauer KG convinces its business partners with the option of producing customized creative and innovative packaging, such as folding boxes, drink cartons, trays and displays made of environmentally compatible materials, which stand out at the POS. With this commitment the company not only fulfills its customers’ desires, but also supports and promotes active environmental protection – and realizes them successfully thanks to the one-stop, well-conceived complete packaging solutions from the design to production and finishing. This is further substantitated by the environmental certification in accordance with ISO 14001.

The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) supports the cause of the sustainable development of forests, and integrates social and economical aspects in addition to the environmental aspects into the certification. For products with the FSC seal, every single work step of the entire product chain (chain of custody – COC) is certified according to established criteria and documented without interruption. For this purpose, FSC established ten binding principles and 56 criteria.

The FSC, with its work groups in 42 countries, is supported by renowned organizstaions, such as Greenpeace, WWF, NABU and Robin Wood. The foundation UTOPIA for sustainable consumation nominated the FSC for the sustainability prize 2009.

The certification system of the PEFC, the largest independent institution for the guarantee and marketing of a sustainable forestry industry, is based on the resolutions of the conferences subsequent to the Environmental Conference of Rio de Janeiro 1992. The defined and documented integral base is meant to ensure unfettered consume. Since a regional base is being pursued, smaller forestry operations, e.g. family-owned, can also receive a certificate and thus gain access to a share of the market.
In Germany, certification is coordinated by the incorporated association, PEFC e.V., which certifies forests in accordance with aspects of sustainability – Karl Knauer will manufacture its packaging out of materials from certified companies upon request.
Sustainability as economic principle – a matter of course for the packaging specialist Karl Knauer KG. Now and in the future.