Joint press release with the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

Another toy awarded with the Blue Angel

High requirements to avoid and minimize harmful substances in products

Bioblo-bausteine vor einem Logo des Blauen EngelClick to enlarge
Bioblo construction blocks: 60% sustainable sawdust, 40% recycled plastics
Source: Umweltbundesamt

The Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) awarded the Blue Angel ecolabel to the Bioblos children's construction blocks from Austria at a ceremony in Berlin today. It is the second toy to be awarded the Blue Angel.

When it comes to toys parents have high demands that toys be free of pollutants. The award criteria for the Blue Angel for toys are oriented towards the avoidance and minimization of substances harmful to health. The standards for the Blue Angel are stricter than those of the European Toy Safety Directive and also ban the use of other substances which are potentially harmful to the environment and health. 

Reports by the EU rapid alert system RAPEX claim that despite the sensitivity of the target group the substances in toys in particular often violate regulations in chemicals law. This is why the Blue Angel criteria include comprehensive testing requirements for certification. Test results must be submitted by independent testing institutes. The award criteria also require compliance with basic social standards in the extraction of raw materials and at production sites. Raw materials must originate from sources which have a lower negative ecological impact than other comparable sources for a particular material.

Bioblo construction blocks are made with Bio-Fasal®, a material composed exclusively of renewable and recycled raw materials. It consists of 60 percent sawdust from native conifers and 40 percent recycled plastics. The latter is produced in a resource-efficient upcycling process using end-of-life reusable cups such as those which can be found in stadiums and festivals. Bioblos blocks are produced in Tulln, Austria, and Zagreb, Croatia.

The award criteria for the Blue Angel for toys (DE-UZ 207) are identical to those in the ecolabel directive for toys which govern Austria's ecolabel (UZ 73). Harmonization of the award criteria for both ecolabels makes it possible to enter larger markets and promote environmentally friendly and socially responsible toys.

 

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