Ecological. Sustainable. Fair. These three keywords describe the standards we set ourselves every day. Sustainability, the protection of the environment and fair business practices are not recent concerns of pharmacist Alexander Ehrmann and managing director Richard König. We have been pursuing this strategy ever since Saint Charles was founded, and it has also had a major influence on product development. Regional herbal medicine products should be packaged in an environmentally friendly way and achieve optimum effect through high quality and freshness. This led to our first premise.
Environmentally friendly product design
Our Saint Charles products are often made from 100 per cent natural organic ingredients, without any additives. High quality packaging is needed to ensure shelf life. We therefore use over 90 per cent amber or purple glass bottles for our products. We try not to use any plastic in our products. Plastic or PET bottles often contain plasticisers and other toxins that may interact with natural ingredients. A big advantage of our products: glass is up to 100 per cent recyclable.
Doing away with unnecessary cardboard
A courageous step, which was not always easy to implement, however, is the renunciation of over-cartons for our own brand. Legal labelling and information for our customers often have to be accommodated in a small space. Practice shows us that minimalist, but high-quality packaging with brown or violet glass, is also possible without over-cartons and is appreciated by our customers.
Plastic-free shipping and environmentally friendly web presence
When products are shipped, they must be appropriately padded and packaged. Since 2018, we have also been taking an important step towards waste avoidance in shipping for our online shop. New logistics and thus more space for products, but also new innovative packaging machines, enabled us to implement our plan in terms of "plastic-free packaging" . We now pack exclusively with recycled paper and do without 100 percent plastic in filling materials or inserts. Not only in shipping do we try to think sustainably, our web systems are operated in German data centres of the company Hetzner (Gunzenhausen, Germany). This company operates its systems exclusively with electricity from regenerative energies.
Fair and ethical business
The Saint Charles team with its staff in Vienna and Berlin is diverse, modern and tradition-conscious at the same time, reflecting our ethical corporate culture. The intensive contact with traditional European medicine and naturopathy connects us all. Diversity, cosmopolitanism and democracy help us to connect people more closely, regardless of their origin and faith. Our approach "Not more, but better" is not only our guiding principle, but for us it means above all responsible management, in that we do not just "avoid", but actively "contribute". With commitment, passion and great partners who support us in our actions and in our way of thinking.
We are convinced that we can make a positive difference with our philosophy and our products. Transparency, reduction to the essentials, coupled with high-quality and sustainable products, will continue to determine our actions in the future. That's Saint Impact. Ecological. Sustainable. Fair.
