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Many questions always arise on the subject of seals for sustainability, ecology and social ethics. We would like to answer the most important ones here:
Why seals and certifications at all?
Because terms like “sustainable” or “ecological” are relative and not absolute.
That is why vague promises appear more often.
On the other hand, certified seals that check the facts in a bulletproof manner help.
A seal is always better than not a seal – but with the right certifications, the security of actually buying an ecologically sustainable, socially ethical product is created.
With which seals is Nordlicht certified?
First of all, we have the certification of two classics of the organic industry, GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and, for our leather products, LWG (Leather Working Group).
The ecological product criteria include the prohibition of plasticizers and dangerous textile chemicals as well as a pollutant test of natural fibers. This means that all products are guaranteed to be free of harmful substances and ecological.
The third important seal for us is the Green Button. The Green Button is a state seal, it was developed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with the participation of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and is awarded by the BMZ. For the green button, GOTS and LWG seal are a prerequisite. For the Green Button, social production standards, environmental impacts in production, complaint management, a control of compliance with promises of improvement and much more are checked and evaluated in 46 criteria.
Unlike private quality seals, the seal not only includes criteria for the products and production conditions at the suppliers, but also checks whether the ordering companies comply with their due diligence obligations. This is a novelty! For example, it is tested whether the companies ensure human rights and environmental protection in their corporate policy and examine the risks and effects of their business activities along their supply chains. Are effective measures being taken, reported transparently and publicly? Are there complaint mechanisms for potentially affected persons and are they complied with? This is not only asked, it is checked and validated.
How do you see the development of the Green Button Seal?
Good, because the seal has implemented the further development, so to speak. From the beginning, criticism was requested and the discussion was conducted publicly. The result is the GREEN BUTTON 2.0.
Key points in the revision of the standards were the inclusion of steps towards living wages, the coverage of the entire supply chain in corporate due diligence and a broader anchoring of due diligence obligations in the company.
Potentially affected parties are more closely involved, and the sustainability goals for business management are reviewed and evaluated. For the products, some requirements are placed on materials used for the first time, existing criteria at the level of assembly and wet processes have been further developed.
So do the seals with which you are certified offer security?
Yes. All Nordlicht products are tested and positively evaluated throughout the entire production and supply chain according to strict social and ecological criteria.