taking responsibility | Trodat Bestsellers | Original Printy 4.0 | ISO Certification | Environmental terms A-Z

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

Trodat sees a special obligation as the world’s market leader in stamp products and has set a good example for years in climate protection. Trodat took measures to improve energy use as early as 1993, when the Kyoto protocol was still not on everyone’s lips, and Austria’s strict environmental laws weren’t at today’s level.

Trodat places great emphasis on efficient energy use and careful treatment of raw materials throughout the entire value creation process (see ISO certification). Trodat stamps also are characterised by particularly long service life and therefore need less frequent replacement.

CLEAN RAW MATERIALS

Raw materials comply with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)
We do not use any PVC in the production of our stamp components
Our suppliers are screened for environmental and quality certification

RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION

About 80% of all produciton waste is re-used
100% recycling of mechanically unstressed parts
Production rejects are less than 0.3%
The whole production process does not produce any effluent

ECONOMICAL USE OF ENERGY

Heat recovered from production is used for heating buildings
Injection moulding machines are cooled using fresh air
100% of electricity requirements come from renewable energies

LESS CO2

The Original Printy 4.0 is much smaller and lighter than its predecessor and consists of up to 65%* post-consumer recycled plastic. This helps save up to 49%* CO2 emissions (4910, 4911, 4912, 4913, 4914, 4915, 4642).
1,000 tonnes saving on CO2 emissions purely by reducing the use of fossil fuels, natural gas and electricity since the middle of 2001.
250 metric tonnes additional saving on CO2 by changing from fuel oil to natural gas.

*) Eco-black and Eco-grey. Lower percentage for other colours.

TRODAT BESTSELLERS
– CLIMATE – NEUTRAL.
AS STANDARD.

After the amazing success of the Original Printy 4.0, Trodat now enlarges the range of products that offer climate-neutrality as standard in order to maximize the positive effect for the environment.

As of 2013, Trodat manufactures more than 70 of its best-selling products with the highest content of recycled plastic that is technically possible in order to reduce its CO2 footprint. In a second step, the residual, unavoidable CO2 footprint of those products is compensated by investment in Gold Standard climate protection projects recommended by the WWF®. As a result, Trodat offers its best-selling products climate-neutral – as standard! Climate neutrality relates to the stamp components.

“From our point of view, true environment and climate protection orientation manifests itself by the company showing that it commits its main business – i.e. its standard products, to environmental and climate protection, thus maximizing the positive impact.” says Dr. Hildegard Aichberger, Managing Director of the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF®) Austria in an interview with Markus Würcher, Managing Director at Trodat GmbH in July 2012. “The path taken by Trodat to offer its main products as carbon neutral is therefore exactly the right one. That should be preferred to just offering green secondary product lines because of the more positive climatic effect.”

From 2013 Trodat will offer the following products climate-neutral, as standard:

Original Trodat Printy:

4907, 4910, 4911, 4912, 4913, 4914, 4915, 4916, 4917, 4925, 4926, 4927, 4928, 4929, 4941, 4911 typo, 4911 typo Clothing Marker, 4912 typo, 4912 Office Printy, 4912 ID Protection, 4913 typo, 4916 typo, 4925 typo, 4926 typo, 4927 typo, 4928 typo, 4929 typo,
4630, 4630 typo, 4638, 4642, 4642 typo
4726, 4727, 4729, 4750, 4750/L, 4727 typo, 4729 typo, 4755 typo,
4800, 4810, 4813, 4816, 4817, 4820, 4822, 4836, 4846, 4850, 4850/L, 48313

Trodat Professional:

5200, 5203, 5204, 5205, 5206, 5207, 5208, 5211, 5212, 5215, 5415, 5253 typo, 52040, 52040 typo
5030, 5117, 5430, 5430/L, 5431, 5440, 5440/L, 5460, 5460/L, 5466/PL, 5470, 5480, 54110, 54120, 54126, 5546, 5558, 5558/PL, 55510, 55510/PL, 5435 typo, 5465 typo, 5485 typo, 54140, 54510 typo

ORIGINAL PRINTY 4.0
– CLIMATE NEUTRAL.
AS STANDARD.

TRODAT SUCCEEDS WITH A SENSATION

Original Printy 4.0 is climate-neutral. As standard. Redesigned from the aspect of sustainability, it’s already possible to save up to 49%* CO2 during production compared to the previous model. And investment in Gold Standard climate protection projects recommended by the WWF® compensates for the remaining, unavoidable CO2 footprint. Climate neutrality relates to the stamp components.

Exceptional engineering has made the Original Printy 4.0 much smaller and lighter than its predecessor. In addition, it consists of up to 65%* post-consumer recycled plastic (4910, 4911, 4912, 4913, 4914, 4915, 4642). This saves valuable resources and up to 49%* CO2. The Original Printy 4.0 is produced with 100% electricity from renewable energies. Really reducing CO2 emissions, not just buying climate certificates, is important to Trodat. That also inspires partner WWF Austria.

A recent TED global conference series video also covers the subject of plastics recycling. Its goal is to share great new ideas that can positively change our world. In this video, Dr. Michael Biddle, founder of MBA Polymers and our supplier for post-consumer recycled plastic, speaks about the possibilities and advantages of recycling plastic.

A little tip: the Trodat Ecoprinty appears in minute 9:52

HOW DOES TRODAT ACHIEVE THE ENORMOUS CO2 REDUCTION?

Primarily with the product itself—where it’s most important: exceptional engineering has made the Original Printy 4.0 much smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and it consist of up to 65%* post-consumer recycled plastic (4910, 4911, 4912, 4913, 4914, 4915, 4642). Valuable resources and up to 49%* CO2 are thereby saved. It’s crucial to exhaust all the possibilities to reduce CO2 at the product level:

From up to 65%* post-consumer recycled plactic (4910, 4911, 4912, 4913, 4914, 4915, 4642) > saves raw material
Smaller > less material needed
Lighter > less CO2 during transport
Producion with100% green electricity > environmentally friendly

Since no production process can take place without energy consumption, all unavoidable CO2 emissions are additionally compensated for in a further step—through investments in Gold Standard climate protection projects recommended by the WWF®.

DECISIVE: PRODUCT OPTIMIZATION INSTEAD OF ‘PAYING RANSOM’

Trodat is therefore on the right path. Many other companies just buy climate certificates without constructing their products any more environmentally friendly. It’s a questionable practice that’s often criticised as ‘paying ransom’ or ‘buying indulgences’. So it’s important for Trodat to first of all reduce its product’s CO2 emissions. And the unavoidable CO2 footprint is also neutralized through investments in climate protection projects. Here it involves exclusively Gold Standard projects recommended by the WWF®.

*) ECO-black and ECO-grey. Lower percentage for other colours.

ISO CERTIFICATION

Amongst other things, Trodat commits itself to customer orientation, employee orientation, and environmental protection in the corporate values. Trodat commits itself, among other things, to results orientation, innovation, and sustainability.
Our organization is regularly reviewed and continually improved both internally and externally to implement our values systematically and efficiently in daily business. This guarantees high standards in both products and processes.

TÜV, the independent, internationally recognized test body, has certified Trodat in accordance with ‘EN ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems’ since 1995.
Every year since then, our organization has been audited annually or subjected to a so-called recertification audit triennially.

Our certified QM system was expanded via ‘EN ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems’ in 2008 to more efficiently implement and to intensify activities conducted to date on the subject of environmental protection.

In 2012, Trodat was successfully certified in accordance with ‘BS OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety’, to have independent experts assess activities in this area in the context of occupational safety and health requirements for our employees.

In 2013 both the existing systems and the newly-added ‘Energy Management System in accordance with EN ISO 50001’ were successfully certified. As a responsible company we at Trodat consider the environment to be very important and therefore take appropriate steps to sustainably increase our company’s energy efficiency. As part of the energy management system’s introduction existing management systems were merged into a single integrated system.

Our integrated ‘Quality – Environment – Energy – Safety and Health’ management system takes advantage of the synergies offered by various areas, in order to ensure holistic, sustainably high standards and their continuous improvement.

Setting ambitions, goals, permanent controlling, regular reviews, and corresponding implementation activities as part of our integrated management system ensures customer-oriented action, and that we live our values from an ecological, economical, and social viewpoint.

All certificates are sterling confirmation of the path that Trodat has taken. You can download our current TÜV certificate here.

ENVIRONMENTAL TERMS FROM A–Z

The subject of environmental protection has many technical terms. We’ve compiled the most important here for you.

CLIMATE PARTNER

ClimatePartner is an independent company that conducts climate protection consultation for many companies and NGOs. Among other things, ClimatePartner calculates products’ CO2 footprint or companies’ greenhouse gas balance.

When calculating CO2 footprints, not just direct costs for production are examined, but also the costs of product parts and raw materials suppliers. ClimatePartner aims to determine all the figures based on the current state of scientific research.

CO2 FOOTPRINT

The CO2 footprint is the amount of CO2 greenhouse gas that a person, a household, or the manufacture of a product produces across the entire value-added chain. We all leave traces behind on our way through everyday life—regardless of what we do, almost everything consumes energy and thus produces CO2.

No product in the world can be created without leaving behind a CO2 footprint. So energy is also used to manufacture the Original Printy 4.0. However Trodat saves valuable resources and up to 49%* CO2, because up to 65%* post-consumer recycled plastic is used during production. Trodat compensates for the unavoidable residue of CO2 production by investing in climate-protection projects recommended by the WWF®.

*Eco-black and eco-grey. Lower percentage for other colours.

System boundary

To be able to calculate a product’s CO2 footprint, it first must be determined where in the production chain to begin calculation. Are the production of raw materials and their transport counted in this?
‘Cradle to gate” is one popular way to look at the life cycle—everything from cradle to factory gate. Here raw materials production contributes to the footprint as does the transporting of raw materials to the factory, on-site production, and transportation of the finished product to the warehouse.

Whenever possible, the calculations were carried out with Trodat primary data on an annual basis and with manufacturer’s data. In the last step, secondary data from recognised databases, for instance Ecoinvent , were drawn upon.

Calculation

There is currently no legally binding standard for determining CO2 footprints. ClimatePartner bases its calculations on the internationally recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which pursues the following principles:

– Relevance: during the calculation, a distinction is to be drawn between decision-relevant, or emission sources material for the company in the concrete individual case under consideration, and other emission sources.
– Completeness: emission sources classified as material are to be completely recorded.
– Consistency: methods once selected should be strictly adhered to.
– Transparency: data and methods used, as well as the assumptions made, are to be given clearly and understandably.
– Accuracy: the calculation is to be carried out so that it leads to a sufficiently accurate result.

EMISSIONS TRADING

The possibility of trading emissions was defined as part of the Kyoto protocol . The aim of trading is to reduce global emissions as soon and as economically as sensible.

Companies that cause a great deal of CO2 emissions can purchase emissions certificates. They thereby finance climate protection projects in developing and emerging countries. This tactic has two advantages: emissions are compensated for and developing countries profit from the technology transfer.

Emissions trading does not of course absolve from the ethical obligation to reduce CO2 emissions in principle. Thus the company policy: ‘avoid emissions wherever possible; reduce unavoidable emissions, and only compensate for in the last step’ applies.

GOLD STANDARD PROJECTS

Projects that companies can support as part of emissions trading can be further restricted: Gold Standard projects don’t just aim for emissions compensation, but also promote participating countries.

Gold Standard projects must work in the area of renewable energies and energy efficiency. In addition, they’re more strictly audited than normal projects. Furthermore, social criteria are also adhered to with the Gold Standard. The WWF® supports only Gold Standard projects.

CLIMATE NEUTRALITY

A product is climate neutral if it doesn’t alter the atmosphere’s CO2 balance either by not causing emissions itself (very rare) or by neutralizing the product’s CO2 footprint through compensating measures.

Greenhouse gases such as CO2 have effects on the global climate. Their damage isn’t limited to the country of origin. Therefore countermeasures need not occur in the country of origin. The climatological effects from location A can also be neutralized at location B. So where CO2 emissions can’t be reduced any further, the possibility exists of investing in climate protection projects to compensate for the damage.

Trodat has investigated the production chain closely to determine whether CO2 can be saved. Trodat compensates unavoidable CO2 emissions with investments in Gold Standard climate protection project recommended by the WWF®. These must adhere to strict requirements. Among other things, no projects are supported in industrialized countries, only those in ‘southern hemisphere’ countries that couldn’t otherwise be realized.

POST-CONSUMER RECYCLED PLASTIC

Old computer cases, refrigerator doors, and mobile phone covers—many plastic can be collected and reprocessed. The EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) produces smaller rubbish mountains and CO2 emissions from recycled plastics are smaller than from newly manufactured plastics.

Because Trodat uses up to 65%* post-consumer recycled plastic for the Original Printy 4.0, not only are valuable resources saved during production, but up to 49%* CO2 as well.