“I have been an SOS sponsor for a long time and an environmental ambassador for the Blue Angel since 2014“, said Oliver Mommsen during his visit to the SOS village in Berlin’s Moabit district. “Children need us to protect and help them. Our job can only be considered done when children can live free of fear and conquer the world with a sense of trust and curiosity. But it means that we must finally learn to be kind to and protect our earth and our environment.”
“It is important to challenge the products we buy," said Ms Krautzberger. “The consumption of each and every individual has an impact on the environment. We can accomplish a great deal by seeking out environmentally friendly and low-energy consumer goods. But these products must also be affordable, which is why I am in favour of subjecting especially environmentally friendly goods to a lower rate of value added tax. For example, an economical fridge would be sold at a 7% instead of 19% VAT rate, making the products more affordable and attractive – a plus for the environment and household budgets.“
Ms Krautzberger and Mr Mommsen were welcomed in the SOS Children's Village Berlin by division manager Ms Agnes Siemer and families who spend their leisure time at the village to chat or to get support in various life situations. Ms Siemer expressed her satisfaction about the campaign, saying: "We also make constant efforts to raise awareness of environmental issues and climate action among our children and families. It is not so easy sometimes since these people often face challenges of a very different type in their everyday lives. It is all the nicer when we lead by example.”
The SOS Children's Village Berlin offers help where help is needed. In addition to the village in Berlin's Moabit district which opened in 2004, the day care facility for 90 children and attached family centre, an embassy for children and an education and meeting centre will be built in 2017 in the same district. “We are building an open establishment here“, explained Agnes Siemer, “and we hope do much more work to raise awareness of environmental and climate protection."
Ms Krautzberger welcomes the commitment, saying: “Environmental protection is a task for the community at large and it is important for children and youth to learn about sustainable consumption. The aim of the ecolabel is to give consumers some orientation when making their purchases. The ecolabel provides reliable proof of whether e.g. a cleaning agent has harmful ingredients or if the wood in a piece of furniture originates from sustainable forestry.“
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There are currently some 12,000 products with the Blue Angel ecolabel from 1,500 companies in 120 different product groups. Only goods and services which are the best in terms of environmental protection are awarded the Blue Angel within a product group. The Blue Angel is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2018. Independence and credibility is guaranteed by the Environmental Label Jury, the Federal Ministry for Environment, the German Environment Agency and RAL gGmbH. Members of the Environmental Label Jury include representatives of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), BUND/Friends of the Earth Germany, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), the Main Association of German Retail Trade (HDE), NABU Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv), German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH), Stiftung Warentest, media, churches, science, the German Association of Towns and Cities, and representatives of two German Länder (currently Bavaria and Berlin) and one youth representative.
Many producers of goods bearing the Blue Angel have answered the drive to donate sustainable products to the SOS Children’s Village Berlin. Many thanks go to the following companies for their commitment and generosity: Esselte Leitz GmbH & Co KG, Hakle GmbH, memo AG, Metsä Tissue GmbH, Papierfabrik August Koehler SE, Stora Enso Sachsen GmbH and VENCEREMOS - Handel mit Umweltschutzprodukten GmbH.
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