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Everything veggie? Nah, vegan!

Caroline Zöller

Published on 05.11.2019

In 2018, about one million people in the German-speaking population over 14 years of age said they would consider themselves vegan or someone who mostly eliminates animal products. The number of people who like at least some vegan products and prefer them to conventional ones is on the rise. As a result, the demand for a selection free of animal ingredients continues to grow, too.

Among those who have recognised this trend are the Berlin-based online printers DeineStadtKlebt.de, who specialise in the production of stickers and labels using digital, offset and screen printing. Their product range includes adhesive films of all kinds as well as advertising materials such as flyers, postcards, banners and posters. Sustainability plays an important role in all of the company’s production areas. That’s what made a vegan product such a good fit for their portfolio.

To ensure that the base material for the stickers is really free of animal products, the printers have it produced separately. In turn, the stickers that get produced with it are now allowed to bear the official “V-Label” seal of quality issued by ProVeg Germany, the largest advocacy group representing the interests of people with a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle in Germany.

Standard sticker production commonly uses animal ingredients: components such as horn and bone fragments are frequently used as bleaching agents in order to achieve the highest possible degree of whiteness on surface layers and substrates. Adhesives often contain casein, which increases the flowability of the adhesive. In the vegan film from DeineStadtKlebt.de, all the common animal ingredients in stickers have been replaced by synthetic or plant-based ingredients. What’s more, it can be infinitely recycled, making it one hundred per cent recyclable. The eco-balance of the PE film used is thus much better than that of PVC film.

Declaration of animal substances not mandatory in Germany

Terms like vegetarian or vegan can’t be relied on right now: The ministry responsible for consumers agreed on a definition in 2016 that also considers the substances used in production, but this terminology is far from being codified in the law. Consumers and producers alike are feeling uncertain as a result, making it even more important to create transparency and clarity with a label. The V-Label is an internationally recognised and protected brand and considered great guidance in the veggie market. Since late 2018, ProVeg Germany also allows the labelling of non-food products.

DeineStadtKlebt.de jumped on the opportunity to start assuring prospective buyers of vegan stickers that these really are free of animal ingredients. The stickers bearing the V-Label are available at the online shop of DeineStadtKlebt.de; depending on the number copies, they’re produced with digital or offset printing.

In a video, Paul Kündiger, the founder of DeineStadtKlebt.de, explains why he cares so much about veganism and why the industry is shrouded in silence when it comes to print products.

Image and video: DeineStadtKlebt.de