Our certificates
HAPPY BRANDS is aware of its responsibility as a producer of high-quality advertising materials and tries to live up to this through a lot of commitment, passion and particularly conscientious work. In addition to the pure product quality and product safety of our individually manufactured promotional items & giveaways, it is important for us to consider and observe socially contemporary criteria from the ecological, economic and social areas and to act and produce accordingly.
We know all of our partners and suppliers in Europe, the Far East and India personally. HAPPY BRANDS has had a long-term cooperation with almost all of them, which is always based on fairness, mutual respect and trust. However, in order to meet the strict guidelines and regulations of the most globally recognized certifications from well-known institutes, regular checks and audits are essential. These are carried out by the respective organizations in addition to our frequent personal visits on site. We or our supplier and their entire supply chain only receive official certification if all of the required criteria are met on a permanent basis.
Depending on the product group in our portfolio and the production location, we have different test results and certificates.
More details on the individual certifications, organizations and testing institutes can be found below:
GOTS - Global Organic Textile Standard
License number: BCS 27677
GOTS is the world's leading standard for the production and processing of textiles made from organically produced natural fibers (BIO / Organic Cotton).
The GOTS program defines, regulates and controls the entire value chain of organic production, from ecological extraction of raw fibers, through environmentally friendly and socially responsible manufacturing, to the distribution and labeling of the end products.
Environmental requirements play just as important a role as strict social criteria.
The most important key points are:
FIBER PRODUCTION:
+ Organic certification of the fibers based on recognized international or national organic farming standards (EU Organic Regulation (EC Regulation No. 834/2007), USDA NOP or IFOAM Family of Standards)
+ A textile product with the GOTS label “organic” or “kbA/kbT” must contain at least 95% controlled organically produced fibres
ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA:
+ All (chemical) additives must be biodegradable
+ Prohibition of:
+ Heavy metals
+ Formaldehyd
+ Genetically modified organisms
+ Chlorine bleach / Only oxygen based bleach allowed
+ Azo dyes
+ Only ecological printing methods allowed / Prohibition of:
+ Etching printing process with aromatic solvents
+ Pastisol printing processes that use phthalates and PVC
+ Environmental protection program to minimize waste & wastewater
+ Environmentally friendly packaging
SOCIAL CRITERIA:
+ No child labour
+ No forced labor
+ Occupational safety / Safe and hygienic working conditions
+ Minimum wage
+ Humane working hours
+ No discrimination
Direct link with further information:
www.global-standard.org
FAIR TRADE
License number / FLOID: 37716
Fairtrade is the world's best-known seal for fairly grown and traded products.
The Fairtrade standards, the set of rules includes social, ecological and economic criteria to ensure sustainable and fair development in the producer organizations in the manufacturing countries.
Our organic bags, organic shoppers and organic shopping bags carry the FAIRTRADE COTTON seal. This program specifically ensures on site:
SOCIAL:
+ Safe and healthy working conditions
+ Prohibition of child labour
+ No forced labor
+ Valid employment contracts
+ Prohibition of discrimination
ECOLOGICAL:
+ Environmentally friendly cultivation / production methods
+ Protection of natural resources
+ Ban on dangerous pesticides
+ No genetically modified seeds
ECONOMIC:
+ Stable minimum prices / living wages
+ Proof of goods and money flow
+ Transparent trading relations
+ Pre-financing
Direct links with further information:
www.fairtrade-deutschland.de and
www.fairtrade-deutschland.de/baumwolle
OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is a globally uniform and independent testing and certification system for textile raw, intermediate and finished products at all processing stages.
The focus is on increased and effective product safety. OEKO-TEX tests, certifies and guarantees that articles are harmless in terms of freedom from harmful substances and prohibited chemicals.
The focus is on:
+ Important legal regulations such as prohibited azo dyes, formaldehyde, pentachlorophenol, cadmium, nickel, etc.
+ Numerous chemicals that are hazardous to health, even if they are not yet regulated by law
+ Test criteria and limit values go well beyond national and international requirements
+ Extensive product controls and regular company audits also ensure that the industry is sustainably aware of the need for responsible handling of chemicals worldwide
Direct link with further information:
www.oeko-tex.com
BSCI
(Business Social Compliance Initiative)
BSCI is an initiative to improve working conditions in global supply chains.
The rules, the “amfori BSCI Code of Conduct”, are based, among other things, on conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.
Participants commit to implementing and adhering to the following 11 principles, which are aimed at ensuring the highest level of occupational safety:
+ Right to freedom of association & collective bargaining
+ Appropriate remuneration
+ Occupational safety / Healthy & safe working environment
+ Special protection for young workers
+ No forced labor
+ Ethical business practices (no corruption, extortion,
Embezzlement, bribery)
+ Equal opportunities / No discrimination
+ Reasonable working hours
+ No child labour
+ Documented employment relationships
+ Environmental protection / measures to prevent environmental damage
Direct link with further information:
www.amfori.org/bsci-in-brief and
www.amfori.org/bsci-the-approach
BUREAU VERITAS
Bureau Veritas (Certification) is a world leader in testing, inspection and certification.
The institute defines, controls, audits, certifies and currently holds more than 60 accreditations in the following areas:
+ Quality
+ Health
+ Security
+ Environment
+ Social responsibility
Direct link with further information:
www.bureauveritas.com
REACH
REACH is the new European chemicals law. It was published in 2006 as Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 of the European Union and replaces numerous legal regulations that existed up to that point. The regulation regulates the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemical substances.
The aim is to ensure a high level of protection for people and the environment in connection with chemicals.
REACH is based on the principle that manufacturers, importers and downstream users take responsibility for their chemicals. They must ensure that the chemicals they manufacture and place on the market are used safely.
The abbreviation “REACH” is derived from the English title of the regulation: Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.
The REACH regulation is considered one of the strictest chemicals laws in the world.
Direct link with further information:
www.umweltbundesamt.at/wasistreach and
www.reach-info.de/
LANDBELL
In order to be able to implement the new Packaging Act, which has been in force since the beginning of 2019 (“System participation obligation of the manufacturer or first distributor of packaging subject to system participation, Section 7 Paragraph 1 of the Packaging Act”) in a legally compliant manner, manufacturers or first distributors like us need a partner who correctly carries out and documents the execution and implementation of this law and its regulations. Put simply, the principle of extended product responsibility applies: every company that puts filled packaging into circulation is responsible for ensuring that it is taken back and recycled in an environmentally friendly manner.
There are currently 10 certified system operators available for this service in Germany.
For this purpose, HAPPY BRANDS has chosen the operator Landbell to comply with the guidelines and the necessary measures. Landbell is a renowned environmental and waste disposal specialist and has been operating a certified and independent dual system since August 2003.
In addition to a significant increase in the quotas for material recycling, some obligations and definitions have also been tightened with the new Packaging Act, which came into force in 2019. The new Packaging Act obliges producers and distributors of goods to participate in the take-back system, to have appropriate recycling carried out and thus to ensure environmentally friendly recycling of the packaging that has been placed on the market.
To do this, as a company subject to system participation, we must conclude a licensing agreement with the dual system for the packaging subject to system participation that is to be licensed. This registration and a constant data reporting obligation are also part of our obligations as the first distributor of packaging for promotional items, promotional gifts, giveaways and merchandise products. This registration and data reporting takes place in the newly established official packaging register LUCID, an internet platform of the Central Packaging Register Foundation (ZSVR) for the implementation of the Packaging Act. This central office was created to increase transparency in licensing and to support the enforcement authorities in combating under-licensing and non-compliance with applicable packaging and disposal laws. The aim of the new Packaging Act and the new central monitoring body is therefore also to guarantee packaging disposal on a sustainable and competition-neutral basis.
This entire process of return, recycling, licensing and documentation is an organizationally complex process, which in our case is handled, carried out and documented for us by the company Landbell as an environmental and disposal specialist. Landbell is a convincing partner in this area thanks to its independent 100% dual system, its legal certainty, its reliability and its many years of experience.
As a sustainably oriented company, we very much welcome all these steps to increase quotas and tighten existing packaging and disposal regulations and we fulfil all the associated obligations to 100% correctly, conscientiously and with complete conviction.
Direct links with further information:
https://www.verpackungsregister.org
https://www.karlsruhe.ihk.de/fachthemen/umwelt/abfall/neues-verpackungsgesetz
https://www.landbell.de
