Sustainability news archive

Packaging waste is also generated during the manufacture of private label products. Reducing these quantities and making the packaging itself more sustainable is the aim of IMTRON's packaging strategy. What exactly is behind this strategy? How sustainable is IMTRON's packaging management? Sustainability News spoke to Kamilla Schafmayer, an expert for sustainability, compliance and contract management at IMTRON.

As the largest European trading company for consumer electronics, MediaMarktSaturn not only wants to provide its customers the best products nationwide and at all times, but also to ensure that social and ecological standards are observed in their production. An enormous challenge: the supply chains today are global and highly complex. Sustainability News shows how MediaMarktSaturn and IMTRON are successfully tackling these challenges.

Millions of ink cartridges are consumed year after year in Germany. This not only costs money, but also poses a considerable environmental problem - especially when used printer cartridges end up in household waste. With the new remanufactured ink cartridges from ISY, MediaMarkt and Saturn now offer their customers a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative.

Always available, always informed: The usage of smartphones, laptops, etc. consumes a lot of time - and sometimes it is stressful. "Digital Detox" - digital detoxification - is the recipe against the stress of constant accessibility. Many use the Christmas season as an opportunity for digital devices to take a break. We show what tricks can be used to achieve this.

Recognizing at a glance which products are particularly sustainable - Saturn customers have been able to do this in the online shop since 2012 with the green label "Jetzt auf Grün schalten" ("Switch to green now"). MediaMarkt is now following and labelling energy-saving and environmentally friendly products in the online shop with the new "Alles im grünen Bereich" (“Everything in a green range”) label. But what is hidden behind the product label?

What has happened since the introduction of rental offers at MediaMarkt and Saturn? Sustainability News spoke to Johannes Brancke, Sales Manager at MediaMarktSaturn Germany.

How high is the energy consumption in your own household and how can we best keep an eye on costs? How environment-friendly is a product? Useful apps bring light into the darkness and provide information on environmental protection, consumption, costs and ingredients of products. We present convincing scanner apps.

With the launch of the new barista club, MediaMarktSaturn is further expanding its coffee expertise - and also its sustainability expertise. After all, many of the offered premium coffees not only taste excellent, they are also produced "sustainably". But what does that actually mean - sustainable coffee?

MediaWorld Como was the Group's first store to be awarded the LEED® certificate for sustainable building in gold. Read the complete interview with Roberto Migliorini Mulazzani, store and system planner at MediaMarktSaturn in Como, Italy.

Bees play a central role in the conservation of global ecosystems. However, scientists have been warning for years against the death of bees and the decline in populations. Bees are extremely important: not only do bees produce honey; they also pollinate the majority of our fruit and vegetable plants. We’ll give you 10 tips and advices on how everyone can help the bees.

Germany is stepping on the gas when it comes to electric mobility: after years of targeted support for the switch to all-electric or at least semi-electric driving, the way was finally cleared for electric pedal scooters in mid-June.

Around 1 trillion plastic bags are produced worldwide every year. Put together, the bag parade could wrap the equator 10,000 times. In Germany alone, we still consume billions of plastic bags – but there is also good news: Germans are consuming less and less of them per capita.

3D printers offer huge opportunities for sustainability in areas ranging from biotech and humanitarian aid to bespoke manufacturing and plastic waste upcycling. On the other hand, they may also lead to more consumption and even environmental destruction. Below, Sustainability News weighs up the pros and cons of 3D printing.

With just one click, the television is ordered in Saturn's online shop, and shortly afterwards it is freshly packed and waiting to be picked up at the store or brought to the customer's front door. The customer doesn't notice what happens in between. For this reason, we accompanied a parcel on its way - and drove to our logistics center in Erfurt.

Sorting household waste ought to be a piece of cake: plastic belongs in the yellow bin, organic waste goes in the brown bin for green waste, and glass is taken to bottle banks. Nevertheless, there are a few mistakes people often make when it comes to recycling. Using six practical tips, we show below what to look out for when separating your waste and explain the most common mistakes.

Many of us are hoarding treasure, owing quantities of silver, gold and platinum at home we’re not even aware of! How come? Because these precious metals are hidden inside disused smartphones lying around in drawers. But now, MediaMarktSaturn is helping customers to monetize this treasure and save natural resources into the bargain.

The World Environment Day on 5 June is accompanied annually by 150 states with numerous actions on the subject of environmental protection and nature conservation. MediaMarktSaturn dedicates a whole week to this day and offers its employees on campus numerous activities and lectures on the topic of sustainability in the first week of June.

MediaMarkt and Saturn are offering customers more and more repair services. Mobile phones can be repaired while you wait, fully automatic coffee machines can be fixed, and there’s even a call-out service for washing machines. But why do we carry out repairs in the first place? Because it boosts customer satisfaction and protects the environment.

Whenever the coffeemaker packs up, it’s a terrible start to the day. But even the best machines sometimes stop working for no apparent reason. Coffee and espresso machines have to withstand all sorts of stress: a pressure of 15 bars, continuous use at maximum temperatures, and a grinder that places enormous strain on the motor every single day. But if your coffee machine breaks down, do you always have to throw it away and buy a new one? Thankfully, no, because repairs are now all part of the service at MediaMarkt and Saturn.

Since 2017 MediaMarktSaturn (MMS) procures certified green electricity produced from 100% German hydropower for its stores in Germany. Unlike private households, MMS does not pay standard tariffs to the utility company, but instead buys directly from the energy market via the utility companies. Tobias Brunnhuber, Energy Management Officer at MediaMarktSaturn Germany, describes how this “energy trading” works and why green power is so important for the company.

Starting in 2019, MediaMarkt and Saturn are offering customers a new service: repair services for large household appliances directly at home. This expansion adds another element to one of our most important business segments, Services and Solutions. By extending the life cycle of electrical appliances, MediaMarktSaturn is also making an important contribution towards the protection of the environment and the climate.

Business trips not only cost a lot of money, they also produce large CO2 emissions that pollute the environment. Intelligent itinerary planning and careful choice of transport allows every traveller to improve their CO2 footprint considerably, thus contributing to climate protection. Patrick Reiß, responsible for travel management at MediaMarktSaturn, explains how business travel is gradually becoming more environment-friendly.

Gardening season begins in spring: Sowing, weeding, planting flowers and fertilising. With seven suggestions, we show how gardening can be as sustainable and insect-friendly as possible.

Alternative search engines look for green products and information or offer more privacy than alternatives to Google. We provide an overview of green search engines: from Ecosia and Gexsi to Treeday and Codecheck.

70 percent of household energy consumption and 60 percent of CO2 emissions are attributable to heating. To heat properly is the best way to save heating costs and protect the climate. Simple measures can help to create a healthy indoor climate and at the same time save money and energy. Here are 5 simple tips on how to heat properly in winter.

History was made in the Polish city of Katowice last December. The countries of the world jointly decided how they now want to take concrete action against global warming. Finally, some might be saying. Far too little, others might be saying. MediaMarktSaturn is also aware of its responsibility as Europe's largest electronics retailer.

Winter has arrived in Germany. When the temperature drops outside, we need to turn up the heating indoors. But with the prices of heating oil and gas continuously increasing for decades, that’s getting more and more expensive. This makes it all the more important to ensure that your own four walls are well insulated. After all, good thermal insulation allows you to save plenty of energy while simultaneously protecting the environment and your wallet. In this regard, ‘passive houses’ are especially efficient by consuming up to 80% less heating energy.

Shopping online has been growing rapidly for years. In the run-up to Christmas, millions of presents are ordered on the internet. A­t MediaMarkt and Saturn, too, the webshops have an important role to play within their multichannel strategy. But e-commerce has also been accused of being particularly detrimental to the climate because of the high level of harmful emissions from transport. Should we give up online shopping to protect the environment? Well, the issue’s not as simple as that, so let’s take a closer look.

At first glance, the modern MediaMarkt store in the Munich district of Haidhausen doesn’t look out of the ordinary. But on second glance, it soon becomes apparent that enormous importance has been attached to sustainability here – not just from its architectural design, but also its product range brimming with green products and services in nearly all departments helping customers save energy and protect the environment. The Sustainability News team set off to explore MediaMarkt Haidhausen together with Michael Tretter, department manager of MediaMarktSaturn's sustainability department.

Electromobility is still on the rise with electric cars and e-bikes increasingly out and about on the roads. Lately, electric scooters – kick scooters with built-in rechargeable batteries – have also been seen racing through the streets. And they’ve also made their way onto our shelves. What makes e-scooters so special – and what benefits do they offer in everyday life?

At the beginning of 2017, all German MediaMarkt and Saturn stores were switched to green electricity. And since summer 2018 it’s been official: 100% of the power consumed by the stores and HQ comes from renewable energy sources, namely from TÜV Süd-certified hydropower plants. The certification of the use of green energy also meets the demanding criteria of TÜV Süd. Initial certification was successfully completed in August 2018.

Fill your fridge correctly – and you’ll ensure that your groceries last as long as possible and preserve their flavour. As each type of food requires specific storage conditions, each part of the refrigerator isn’t equally suitable for all types of food. In addition, a well-sorted fridge consumes less electricity, protecting the environment and saving money into the bargain!

Coffee is clearly in fashion. Every year, Germans drink an average of 162 litres of coffee each – that’s more than a bathtub can hold! And apart from espresso and latte, good old filter coffee has made a comeback. But what’s the best way to make coffee? Pod coffee brewers are generally considered bad for the environment, while portafilter machines and automatic coffee makers are regarded as a better alternative. But actually, it’s not quite as simple as that.

In future, we’ll be aided throughout the day by the smart home. But what does a typical smart day look like?

Although the general future of living is called ‘smart home’, everyone will use it in their own way. Some people will build their smart home around their computer, for others it will revolve around their TV and home entertainment, while other people might focus on the environment and sustainability. But however you use it, the smart home will be with us throughout the day. Spend a day with us in the home of the future!