Groundbreaking German farmer goes carbon neutral

A family business with sustainable production at its core

Reducing the ecological footprint has always been at the core of Hornbrooker Hof’s values. After all, they felt, every farmer should do what they can to protect nature in the long term. And of course, the first step is taking a scythe to greenhouse gases.

To this end, the farm runs on photovoltaic solar energy, electric mobility and paperless communication as much as possible, as well as the shortest possible transport routes (through regional partners) and carbon neutral packaging.

And they’ve made quite a success of it. The eggs are packed in our 2x6 and 1x10 imagic^2® and are now sold in more than 160 large and small stores throughout northern Germany.

Lena and Christoph Goldnick with their son, proudly presenting the new carbon neutral egg.

The farm is participating in a forest conservation project in Pará, Brazil.

So what does this mean, exactly? Well, we’re glad you asked, dear reader. It means that:

1. All the emissions from their egg production and packaging have been calculated
2. All possible emissions have then been reduced
3. Wherever possible, all unavoidable emissions are compensated for by certified climate protection projects – one in Namibia (providing solar energy) and another one in Brazil (forest and nature conservation) - run by ClimatePartner.

How it’s communicated to the consumer

As usual, Hartmann has designed some very powerful packaging to drive home the message to the consumer. First off, the "climate neutral" logo is very visible on the top and/or front of each product. Each with the farm’s individual ID number, so the shopper can learn more about the climate neutrality of the product and the climate protection projects. Next, various vibrant promotional materials (e.g. roll ups, posters, various stickers) have been created to make sure the products stand out in-store.

But not content with just selling the first carbon-neutral egg, the owners are investing profits in the cause to motivate others to join the movement. True to their company motto - "Do good and talk about it" – they’re now evangelising the brand message in the press and on TV.

The cartons are marked with the "climate neutral" label.

“With Hartmann, we not only get high-quality sustainable egg packaging, but they also provide constant inspiration for how we can improve and continuously develop. Thanks to Hartmann's climate-neutral moulded fibre packaging, the ball was set rolling. We knew we wanted more and so our climate-neutral egg was born.”

Hans Peter Goldnick
Owner
Hornbrooker Hof