„Zero Waste“. Our new business cards

Business cards. A little bit of history

Business cards. Useful and functional, but generally not very exciting. In fact, despite all digitalization they are still indispensable, but rarely really spectacular. Company name, with logo, then address and contact details. That’s it.

In fact, the business card had a very important formal function in earlier times. As a “visitor’s card”, it was handed over to the butler or housekeeper, who then carried it on a small tray to the lordship to announce the visit. Small messages could also be transmitted with the cards, by bending a corner of the card upwards, sometimes in conjunction with small abbreviation notes on the card.

This allowed the visitor to tell the reason for the visit. For example, “upper left corner” was bent: p.v. (=pour visiter), simply “to visit”, especially if the person to be visited was not at home. “Lower left corner bent” was called “p.f.”. (=pour féliciter) to congratulate. The rather sad occasions were announced on the right side of the business card. The bend in the upper right corner stood for “p.p.c.” = “pour prendre congé” to say goodbye, and the bend in the lower right corner stood for “p.c.” = “pour condoler” to express condolence.

Nowadays, the back-and-forth bending of business cards is no longer so fashionable, and at least for us, the functionality of this small piece of cardboard as a contact card is more important than its formally representative character.

Read the inscription on the back

We had just run out of business cards. Reprinting or printing something new were the alternatives to choose from. And we have decided to take the chance, and use the card’s backside as well, and talk about a key principle of sustainability: „Zero waste“.

And for us, sustainability is much more than just a buzzword that has been heavily used by „everyone” in the meantime, just like “zero waste”, which has become another magic word these days.

We are convinced that it is simply a matter of each individual, to question how he or she responsibly deals with the world around. And that each individual should also make his or her own personal contribution so that we all “don’t cut more wood than can grow back in the forest”, to quote a clear picture of forestry.

„Zero Waste”

„Zero Waste” is an important term when it comes to the sensible use of all our resources. It means both “no waste” and “no waste”. A very high standard, and in everyday life, especially as a hotel business, probably not feasible to an entire 100%. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t pay attention to how we handle our resources and possibilities. Quite the opposite. We are convinced that every single step counts, no matter how small. And we believe that the “zero waste” principle is important enough that we have now written it on our business cards.

The five R’s

What exactly is this about? “Zero Waste” is a traditional principle that is closely linked to five instructions for action. And to make it easier to remember, everything begins with “R”. Here are the five „R’s“. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot, with a few small examples:

Refuse:

Reject what you don’t need. For example the small plastic bags when shopping for fruit and vegetables. The countless flyers and advertising brochures that otherwise end up in your mailbox without being asked for. By the way, we ourselves don’t have any printed flyers or brochures at all.

Reduce:

Reduce what you need and how much of it you need. A very important concern for us is a Zero Waste Breakfast. Not so easy as a hotel, and with all the regulations that you have to consider when it comes to preparing food for guests. The bar is high. And we are very proud. Because at our breakfast buffet there are no portion packs. No mini plastic jars, no packaged jam, no single milk for the coffee, no honey in the sachet. None of that at all.

Our cold cuts are called that because they are freshly cut. Just like our fresh fruit and vegetables. Our jams and yoghurts are homemade and are portioned by us in jars. This not only looks very appetizing (and tastes really good!), but really saves a lot of garbage. But “Reduce” doesn’t stop with breakfast. For example, we have a water softener. This makes the use of aggressive lime cleaners or fabric softeners superfluous. And we generally do not print out correspondence e-mails. Because they are already in the computer. And fast to find.

Reuse:

Buy and use reusable products as far as possible. By the way, this starts with the setup. All our furniture is old. And even if we re-furnish or remodel a room, we actually look around for old furniture again. We are happy about furniture “with history” and the many things that have found their way into our house over time.

Recycle:

Recycling everything that cannot be reused. Or buy it right away as a recycled product. For example with our paper articles, i.e. office paper, folders, but above all with the so-called hygiene papers such as toilet paper, kitchen roll, cosmetic or handkerchiefs, which we keep ready for our guests, we make sure that these are made of 100% recycled paper. If possible, “Blue Angel” certified. Because here the recommendation criteria are particularly strict. It goes without saying that our business cards are also printed on recycled paper.

Rot:

composting. This concerns garden and kitchen waste. At our local recycling center, we deliver green waste for composting, and anyone who needs compost can pick it up there afterwards. A good idea with short distances.

The list is not complete, and there is still a long way to go for us. But, as I said, every single step counts. While doing my research in the vastness of the Internet, I found a sixth R: re-think. Just think about what we do and how we use our resources. Also highly recommendable.