Sustainability, environmental protection and Sustainability, environmental protection and ecological conduct have have become key issues in the stationery sector – and are therefore also a part of Paperworld. The international trade fair for paper, office supplies and writing instruments has been addressing the “green office” theme for years, and is now focusing on it even more closely.
Recycled paper has been a standard part of stationery stores product range for many years. However, environmental protection has long since ceased to be limited to paper products – retailers and manufacturers from
every sector of the office and stationery industry are increasingly focusing on sustainable and environmentally friendly products.
Ecology in the workplace is an issue for the future because it not only serves to protect and preserve the environment, but also goes hand in hand with economic considerations. Conserving resources and increasing work efficiency are closely linked to ecological aspects. A “green orientation” also supports the environmentally conscious purchasing behaviour of consumers, which is increasingly coming to the fore.
Paperworld as a platform for “green office and stationery products”
As an international platform for the office and stationery market and a mirror of the industry, Paperworld also focuses on sustainability and environmental protection. Among the extensive range of products for office and stationery, environmentally friendly materials play a major role for brand-name companies as well as for suppliers of niche products.
On Tuesday, 28 January 2020, the fair’s Sustainable Office Day is dedicated to sustainable products, and environmentally conscious purchasing. Lectures and examples of best practice will present practical solutions for sustainable and environmentally friendly office equipment.
“Environmental protection and sustainability are not short-lived hot topics. On the contrary, an awareness of these issues has become established in the office and stationery sector, which manufacturers, buyers and consumers address in a variety of ways. No-one wishing to remain future-proof can turn a blind eye to this subject. Our ‘Sustainable Office Day’ aims to set an example for the entire industry”, says Michael Reichhold, Director Paperworld
Environmental Management Association) as a cooperation partner. In the course of the action day, the environmental organisation will present a varied and high-caliber programme of lectures in “Saal Europa” (Foyer
Hall 4.0). B.A.U.M. was founded in 1984 as the first non-partisan environmental initiative of trade and industry and is today, with more than 500 members, the largest of its kind in Europe and a long-standing partner of Paperworld.
The Sustainable Office Day is accompanied each year with a Green Directory brochure published by Chmielorz Verlag in cooperation with Messe Frankfurt. It covers current sustainability-related topics, and documents companies offering green products with a description and placement in the hall plan.
In addition, the Agency for Renewable Resources (Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe – FNR) will be presenting itself in the foyer of Hall 4.1 with the “Renewable Office”, for which there is also a booklet.
As lead partner of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the FNR promotes greater consideration of sustainable (office) products in public and private procurement. The staff at their booth will explain the
connection between product selection and climate, because with 18 million office workplaces in Germany and numerous home offices, there is great potential for plant-based innovative product alternatives.
Also to be found in the Hall 4.1 foyer is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) with an information stand. Its task is to promote the environmentally friendly, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of forests worldwide. The independent, non-profit, nongovernmental organisation is today represented by national working groups in over 80 countries. FSC employees at the stand inform about the requirements for FSC certification for paper products, and advise both exhibitors and visitors. There is also a Green Pages information booklet published yearly, which lists all FSC-certified Paperworld exhibitors.
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