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Packaging at Bergzeit

From cardboard to plastic bags

We put around 460 tonnes of packaging into circulation every year. In online retail, parcels are part of our business model.

1.5 million parcels per year with around 2.5 items per parcel – as an online retailer, we are also aware of this problem. However, packaging is essential for protecting our products and ensuring fast shipping is logistically feasible. As mountain sports enthusiasts, we feel responsible for nature and, due to the enormous environmental impact and the increasing demand from our customers, we want to make our packaging as environmentally friendly as possible.
That is why we have taken a close look at the materials and packaging options available to us in order to find the most resource-efficient and environmentally friendly option currently available.
But what does "environmentally friendly" mean and what does it mean for our packaging material? This is a rather complex question that still leads to much discussion among experts. Many aspects come into play: from the resources used and the energy consumed during production to the final recycling of the packaging at the end of its life. Of course, the best alternative would be to simply do without packaging altogether. However, as we want to deliver our products to our customers clean, undamaged and as quickly as possible, we cannot completely do without packaging.

Kartonagen

Cardboard packaging: Depending on the type of cardboard, we have a minimum of 70% recycled content, i.e. the cardboard is made from waste paper. Compared to virgin fibre paper, this saves up to 15% CO2e.
(Source: https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/papier-druckerzeugnisse#vorteile-von-recyclingpapieren).
In addition, we use so-called automatic cartons for up to 25% of our parcels, which means that the height is reduced during the process and we ship less air. In Germany (AT/CH), our waste paper recycling system works very well and cycles are closed, which is why we consider paper to be the most sensible, recyclable raw material we can currently use. We try to reduce the use of materials by, for example, optimising the corrugated cardboard quality of our boxes together with our logistics and quality management teams so that as little corrugated cardboard as possible is used per box – this is a painstaking task, but with 1.5 million parcels a year, it adds up to a lot. From tear strips to adhesive tape, we are trying to switch all packaging materials to paper-based alternatives as far as possible.

Kartonagen Papierfüllmaterial
Paper padding: If your shipment does need a little padding, e.g. for skis, then we use a minimal amount of filling material, which is also made from recycled paper (~10 tonnes/year = 0.006 kg/parcel).
Kartonagen Versandtaschen
Shipping bags: 32% of shipments leave our warehouse in paper envelopes instead of cardboard boxes. Bergzeit paper envelopes are FSC-certified recycled, which means that they are also made from recycled materials such as waste paper or offcuts. This reduces the pressure on our forests that would result from deforestation. In addition, Germany's high waste paper recycling rate of around 75% sets an example for the recycling of other raw materials: i.e. paper recycling works relatively well and thus finds its way back into our everyday lives.
Kartonagen Polybags
Plastic bags: Bergzeit previously used around five tonnes of plastic bags annually for repackaging returns – with a corresponding carbon footprint of 9.6 tonnes of CO2e per year. With the introduction of the new WILDPLASTIC® bags, which consist of 87.5% recycled "wild plastic", we expect to reduce our corporate carbon footprint (CCF) by at least two tonnes of CO2e. What is WILDPLASTIC®? The young organisation from Hamburg was founded with the vision of ridding the world of wild plastic waste. To this end, WILDPLASTIC® collects plastic waste from streets, open or illegal landfills, such as in India, and from the natural environment, and returns it to the recycling cycle. The switch not only has ecological benefits: around 21 tonnes of plastic collected to produce the first annual quantity of Bergzeit plastic bags will be removed from the environment and reused as a resource. At the same time, the project contributes to improving the working conditions of local collectors. The remaining percentages are not plastic made from fossil raw materials (so-called virgin plastic), but additives and colour masterbatches, which are used, among other things, to colour plastic products. These additives ensure that the product has the desired colour, appearance or other specific properties. Read more about WILDPLASTIC®.
Manufacturer information: Bergzeit GmbH, Georg-Kaindl-Straße 1, 83624 Otterfing, Germany

  • FSC Recycled: FSC Recycled is found on products that consist exclusively of recycled material, e.g. paper.

  • RESY: The RESY organisation guarantees the complete disposal and material recycling of all transport and outer packaging made of paper and cardboard marked with the RESY symbol.

  • WFTO: The WFTO certificate is a seal of approval for fair trade. It guarantees that products are manufactured under fair and ethical working conditions.

  • Global Recycled Standard: The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certificate confirms that products have been manufactured from recycled materials and meet strict environmental and social criteria.

  • Ocean Bound Plastic: The Ocean Bound Plastic certificate guarantees that products are made from plastic waste collected from coastal regions, thereby preventing ocean pollution.

  • EU-Cert Plast: The EU-Cert Plast certificate ensures that plastic products comply with strict European environmental and safety standards. It promotes the circular economy and reduces the use of new plastic through the use of recycled materials.