Nationalpark-Haus Wittbülten Nature Centre uses recyclable blue4est checkout receipts

Print Solutions

The Nationalpark-Haus Wittbülten nature centre on the North Sea island of Spiekeroog, in Germany, has been using Koehler Paper’s Blue4est ‘blue checkout receipts’ ever since the country’s law requiring mandatory checkout receipts went into effect on January 1, 2020. This choice has enabled the institution to provide visitors with an environmentally friendly solution when it comes to the checkout receipts printed every day at its exhibition, shop, and café areas.

The decision to use Blue4est was made out of conviction: for the nature centre, conventional thermal paper products were inconsistent with its own philosophy regarding the use of resources and materials. ‘We were actually pretty upset about the printed checkout receipt law in the sense that it didn’t really work with existing disposal systems and was completely incompatible with our message of sustainability. Obviously, the part about providing people with a receipt in case they need one was never a problem, so switching over to Blue4est’ was the logical choice for us,’ explained Swaantje Fock, the director of Nationalpark-Haus Wittbülten Spiekeroog GmbH.

Sebastian Früh, director of the thermal paper division at Koehler Paper, agrees that the decision was only logical: ‘Blue4est is an environmentally friendly solution for daily use by cash registers, and the Nationalpark-Haus Wittbülten nature centre is a perfect example of how our blue receipt paper can be smoothly integrated into ongoing operations.’

Blue4est is based on a special functional layer that works without any chemical colour developers. Its colour is not actually printed, but is instead the result of a physical reaction in the paper itself: the latter contains tiny air bubbles that refract light in such a way that the surface looks blue. When heat is applied, these structures change, revealing a darker layer underneath – this in turn results in a pattern that matches the image being ‘printed’. Of course, this makes the resulting checkout receipts clearly stand out from conventional ones.

Blue4est paper can be disposed of in normal paper waste streams and is food safe, making it suitable for applications in direct contact with customers and food as well. In addition, Blue4est is compatible with conventional thermal printers and can be integrated into existing processes without the need for modifications.

As a certified biosphere partner, the Nationalpark-Haus nature centre views itself as an ambassador for environmental protection and natural conservation. Accordingly, it incorporates these aspects into all of its decisions – from designing exhibits to its daily operations.

With around 70,000 visitors every year – of which about 25,000 are drawn to exhibits and events – the institution is one of the island’s prime destinations.

The Nationalpark-Haus nature centre also sees its exhibits and activities as an opportunity to spark ideas, provide inspiration, and show ways to take action in day to day life.

‘Of course, if you want to raise awareness about acting responsibly, you need to walk the walk yourself. And that goes both for our big decisions and for the small details in our daily routines,’ Swaantje Fock underscored.