What is a GREEN DOT
GREEN DOT is a trademark on the packaging of products of manufacturers who have joined the GREEN DOT scheme of a producer responsibility organisation for the sorting, recovery and recycling of the packaging product.
By participating in the GREEN DOT scheme, which is the most widespread way of ensuring the recovery of secondary raw materials from municipal waste in Europe, the producer also has the interest and opportunity to inform the consuming public in this way that it cares about the environment.
How to get involved in the GREEN DOT system?
The GREEN DOT* system, the exclusive licensor of which in Slovakia is OZV ENVI - PAK, is open to any company that places products on the Slovak market and wishes to inform the consumer public in this way that:
- promotes separate collection,
- has an interest in educating the population,
- is interested in advising consumers and businesses on environmental and waste issues.
* The rules for the use of the trademark GREEN DOT are established by the relevant legislation in the Slovak Republic, the Trademark Act No. 506/2009 Coll., which, among other things, regulates the rules for the use of trademarks, including the rules for the protection of the trademark against its unauthorized use.
Do you want to use the GREEN DOT on your packaging?
History of the GREEN DOT system
The GREEN DOT system was created in the 1990s by German Environment Minister Klaus Töpfer. Since its inception, it has been a great success not only in Germany but throughout Europe. It connects the various licensors of the GREEN DOT trademark in Europe, who share their experience and knowledge on sorted collection and educate the population to take a positive approach to the environment.
Humanity showered with waste
Rising living standards around the world are leading to more waste production. Technological developments in humanity are contributing to the fact that a large amount of waste is generated from materials that do not biodegrade. The problem of waste accumulation and disposal became an issue in the late 1980s, particularly in Western Europe. Waste was accumulating in landfill sites, which were becoming scarce, and at the same time the issue of scarcity and better use of mineral resources came to the fore. At the same time, technology has advanced to the extent that large quantities of waste that had previously been landfilled and not biodegraded could be used for further processing.
Sorted collection - a solution to the problem of accumulating unused waste
The best solution to this problem is to recover all the material from the waste that is recoverable and does not end up in landfill. The largest amount of unused material ends up in waste from consumers' households. The best way to make use of the material is to introduce separate collection of waste from consumers in towns and cities. As the cost of setting up such a system was very high, it was necessary to involve industrial companies in solving the problem. This is why the idea of 'polluter pays' was born. Germany was the first country to introduce regulations obliging producers to take responsibility for the pollution caused by waste from their products.
On 28 September 1990, Duales System Deutschland GmbH was founded. Its task was to organise the sorted collection and recycling of used packaging from consumers in the municipalities. The figurative trademark GREEN POINT was created as a symbol of this system.
Similar organisations and systems, whose task was to build a system for collecting packaging waste from consumers, began to emerge in other European countries, in Belgium, France and Austria. In 1994, the European Union adopted Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste (known as the Packaging Directive). This Directive introduced recycling limits for industrial companies for the different commodities from which packaging is made (paper, plastics, glass, metals and wood). This means that European legislation has mandated Member States to ensure the recycling and recovery of recoverable material.
The GREEN DOT has become a symbol of separate collection of packaging waste in many countries.
PRO Europe
ENVI - PAK is a shareholder of the international PRO Europe system in the Slovak Republic. In May 2003, PRO Europe granted ENVI - PAK a licence for Slovakia to use the registered trademark GREEN DOT. ENVI - PAK is the exclusive licensee of GREEN DOT for Slovakia, it is the only one entitled to grant the trademark to legal and natural persons.
ENVI - PAK is a partner of the international PRO Europe system in the Slovak Republic.
ENVI - PAK has long been making efforts to build up the sorted collection system. In its activities, it uses the trademark GREEN DOT, especially in its logo, labelling of promotional materials, collection containers, etc.
GREEN DOT is a common path to sustainable development. Basic information about the organisation can be found on its homepage PRO Europe.
GREEN DOT in the world
All of Europe sorts waste. For millions of people across the old continent, sorting waste is a daily routine, doing their bit to make their environment more beautiful and cleaner. The registered figurative trademark GREEN DOT is known in more than 30 European countries as well as in Canada. In all countries, it demonstrates the responsible approach of a company, manufacturer or distributor towards the environment and waste sorting in towns and cities.
PRO Europe (PACKAGING RECOVERY ORGANISATION EUROPE), founded in 1995, is the umbrella organisation of European programmes for the recovery of packaging waste and has the right to enter into licence agreements with third parties for the use of the trademark GREEN DOT in the territory of the Slovak Republic, which enjoys the status of a trademark of good repute in the territory of the Slovak Republic. Approximately 300 million people in the world currently have access to the sorted collection provided by PRO Europe members.
PRO Europe members: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germania, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom.
PRO Europe Partners: North America (Canada, Mexico, USA).