REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE

Our love for vintage and mid-century design is founded in the dreams, optimism and ambitions of that aera. And we strongly believe that the design objects in our shop still carry that unique energy.

We also believe in sustainability and the ethos of reuse, reduce, and recycle. Where possible, we reuse the packaging materials that were used to send items to us. While these materials are sometimes not quite what we would like them to be, we still think it is better to reuse them than not. If possible, please reuse or dispose of them responsibly in a designated recycling facility.

 

Materials we use for wrapping and packaging:

Cardboard boxes:

Please empty your box to remove packing materials, such as Styrofoam or packing peanuts and flatten your cardboard box to save space before putting it in the appropriate recycling bin. Alternatively please reuse. 

 

Styrofoam / Polystyrene fillers:

We really try to avoid these, as Polystyrene is a tricky material which takes over a hundred years to break down and while Styrofoam can technically be recycled, it's just highly inefficient to do so. For this reason we sometimes re-use these as filling materials. Please check with your local authorities or waste management if these materials can be recycled in your country or if there are dedicated collection points at your local recycling center.  For customers located in Germany please also see this link (there is also an English language option):

https://www.gruener-punkt.de/de/politik-gesellschaft/verbraucher/styropor-entsorgen

 

Bubble wrap & air cushioned packaging (and similar):

Bubble wrap etc is recyclable in most countries. It's usually made from HDPE or LDPE plastic, which is the same material often used to create plastic carrier bags. You can recycle bubble wrap alongside plastic bags in designated carrier bag recycling bins found in many large supermarkets, or with your household soft plastics recycling, depending on your local authorities recycling policies.

 

LUCID:

Throughout Europe, the producer of a product also takes producer responsibility for the packaging – in terms of preventing packaging waste in the first place, but also in terms of optimising reuse and recovery of what cannot be prevented. For Germany, implementation of this responsibility is assured by the Verpackungsgesetz (Packaging Act).

This is where the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (Central Agency Packaging Register – ZSVR) assumes the task of registering those bearing producer responsibility, making them public, and fostering transparency and legal certainty through its other activities (e.g. data reporting). The ZSVR also monitors further ecological objectives, such as compliance with recycling quotas and the financial support to promote more sustainable packaging.

Europe Vintage and Design is registered with the ZSVR Registration Number: DE3700487068547