Green Petfood honoured with the Green Brands Award!

It's three in a row for us! We were one of the first brands in the pet sector to receive the GREEN BRANDS award for environmental sustainability — and now it's three in a row. Find out below exactly what GREEN BRANDS is all about and why we have been awarded this seal of quality.

What exactly do GREEN BRANDS do?

The seal of quality is awarded to companies that are shown to have sustainable practices. It indicates that the designated brands are environmentally friendly and sustainable, thus helping to protect the environment, natural world and climate as well as conserving our valuable natural resources. Companies that receive this award have environmentally friendly production, their corporate conduct takes account of the shared responsibility for preserving natural resources, and they undertake to promote conservation, balance and sustainability in the natural world.

Amongst other things, these companies save energy, reduce or avoid CO2 and other environmentally harmful emissions, reduce or avoid waste, conserve natural resources, protect natural habitats, use alternative energy sources, train their employees in environmental protection and sustainability, and publish information on corporate objectives that demonstrate the company's environmental commitments.

Can a brand buy this seal of quality?

No. Working in conjunction with market research and opinion polling bodies, and internationally with independent institutions and associations working on sustainability, environmental issues and preventing climate change, the award is given every two years to a small group of brands, following rigorous evaluation.

In order to make the shortlist, candidates must first be proposed as green companies. The entire production cycle is then carefully examined following strict criteria.

"All award-winning brands have one thing in common: they must successfully pass this independent and rigorous process. No marketing budget in the world could induce us — and most importantly of all the jury — to make any exceptions here!"

Norbert R. Lux, founder and managing director of the GREEN BRANDS organisation

Does the quality seal comply with the planned EU Green Claims Directive?

Yes. The EU trademark authorities have comprehensively examined the approach taken by GREEN BRANDS. Thanks to its transparent and independent review process, the GREEN BRANDS quality seal is registered as an EU certification mark. The seal itself thus guarantees verified and genuinely environmentally sustainable quality.

And how does Green Petfood come into the picture?

Our dog and cat food range was nominated in the 2019/2020, 2021/2022 and 2023/2024 certification reviews, and we were one of the first pet industry brands to be awarded the GREEN BRANDS seal of approval for our environmental sustainability — three times in fact!

Once again, we achieved excellent results in all areas: from sourcing to production to design to use of the product!

And with these successful results, we join the likes of denns, alverde, frosch, Weleda, Lavera etc. This shows that we are at the forefront of sustainable brands. For everyone here at Green Petfood, this success is further proof that our work is worthwhile, and that real sustainable engagement is being noticed. Details about our commitment to sustainability can be found here.

What actually makes us a green brand?

Our choice of raw materials

When we choose raw materials, we consider not just their safety and quality but also their environmental footprint. That is why our products are made using raw materials that have the best CO2 footprint compared to conventional feed. In addition, the final recipes are designed to provide our furry friends with all the important nutrients they need for a healthy life.
What's more, our meat-based products use parts of the animal that are perfectly suitable for consumption but are not eaten by humans for commercial reasons.

Our production processes

We carefully check all our incoming raw materials. Only once they have passed our laboratory tests are they processed further in our feed.
It is also important for us to keep the entire green cycle in mind during production. The larvae of the soldier fly (which we use in our insect products) are fed mainly misshapen and overripe vegetables plus leftovers from tinned fruit production. The soil in which the larvae grow is returned to the field as fertiliser. And any waste generated during our feed production is sent to a regional biogas plant, where it forms a renewable energy source.

Our energy and water management

We have our own combined heat and power plant, which allows us to generate a large proportion of our energy. Waste heat is produced during power generation, and this is used directly on site to dehydrate our dried food.
We also use state-of-the-art technology in production, which helps minimise our water consumption.

Our packaging

Packaging is another area where we seek to reduce or recycle resources. Recyclability plays a major role for us in packaging design. We are proud of the fact that our large containers are largely recyclable.
We are also currently testing alternative packaging options. And since 2022 in the Netherlands, our food products have been available without packaging via zero waste stores and online.

Our transport

We ship our products via DHL using their GoGreen solution. This ensures that any transport-related emissions are offset by investments in climate protection projects.
We also make full use of truck capacity when transporting our products. In order to continue to keep CO2 emissions as low as possible, we naturally also pay attention to the vehicle emission class when selecting our lorries.

The result: our climate-friendly products!

Of course, emissions still occur during the production of our raw materials. We use the myclimate service to calculate these precisely. We then offset all our emissions, plus an additional 25%, through our forest conservation project in the Ntakata Mountains in Tanzania. As a result, we are more than just climate neutral!

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