We have made environmental protection part of school
In order to point out the importance of the environment and enable our school beginners and their parents to have an ecological start at school, our stationery departments call attention to ecologically friendly school stationery especially before the beginning of a new school year.

On a national scale, the demand for ecologically friendly school stationery from parents, teachers and pupils has declined. To counteract this trend, Karstadt has carried out in-store campaigns to increase sales of the respective product groups since the mid-1990s.

"1. Klasse Schulsachen" - First grade school articles
Following this motto we have initiated a campaign with the support of the German Federal Environment Agency UBA and the German Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation BUND, which is to increase environmentally conscious behaviour in children and also sensitize parents and teachers for measures for an ecological start at school. This is a worthwhile task, because in approximately 18,000 German primary schools nationwide some 850,000 children start school annually. The campaign included for instance a brochure which was to show what to consider when buying school stationery.

• Durable instead of short-lived products
• Recycled paper instead of fresh fibre tissue
• Avoidance of questionable chemicals

Moreover, the brochure contained useful tips on the topics 'Being safe on the way to school' and 'Health & Fitness' as well as a folder for the children containing colouring-in sheets. The campaign was extremely successful! Compared to the same period in the previous year, an extra 110 per cent of 'ecological school stationery' was sold thanks to this campaign. The sales of exercise books made of recycled paper even increased more than 250 per cent. 

'This is what you can do for the environment! Clever throughout all grades' ("Das könnt ihr für die Umwelt tun! Clever durch alle Klassen.")
In time for the beginning of the school year in 2003, we started a new campaign with an updated information brochure together with the German Federal Environment Agency UBA and the German Association for Environment and Nature Conservation BUND. The focus in this campaign was on "Clemens Clever", the clever, environmentally conscious Karstadt hedgehog. Also in the following years the Clemens Clever brochure remained an essential and strongly demanded medium of the campaign which we had made available to first year students and pre-schoolers for a good start into the school year. The overall print run consisted of 1.2 million copies.

The brochure was introduced in July 2003 by the former German Minister for the Environment Jürgen Trittin and the President of the German Federal Environment Agency Prof. Dr. Andreas Troge. The campaign "This is what you can do for the environment! Clever throughout all grades" ('Das könnt ihr für die Umwelt tun! Clever durch alle Klassen') gained additional recognition through receiving a distinction from the German UNESCO in the project "Education for sustainable development 2005/2006". This distinction was re-confirmed on 29 November 2006, namely for the World UN Decade 2007/2008.

From June to September the campaign "An ecological start at school" ('Ökologischer Schulanfang') 2005 took place, once again in co-operation with the German Federal Environment Agency UBA and BUND. In 2005, a competition invited children to participate: They were asked to colour in Clemens Clever and create a clever motto. The campaign began two weeks before the school holidays started in each state.

On 4 August 2005 the German Federal Environment Agency UBA, BUND and Karstadt had invited the media to a press conference with many attractions in the Karstadt store in Dessau in Saxony-Anhalt, which is the town where the Federal Environment Agency UBA has its seat. Positive resonance from media and schools was high.

The 2005 competition for students, which was entered by a total of 35,000 students, has finished and the jury consisting of ZDF television, the German Federal Environment Agency UBA, BUND and Karstadt has selected the cleverest motto for the hedgehog: "Clemens Clever, the hedgehog who knows his stuff" ('Clemens Clever, der Igel mit dem Durchblick')..

The winner of the first prize, a weekend adventure together with his school class on the "Gut Grasbeck" estate in Walrode from 10-11 June 2006 as well as a bicycle and a helmet, was Jannik Winkelmann from Peine.
The presentation of prizes took place on 24 March 2006 at the 100th anniversary of Karstadt Hanover with the winner, his parents, his school class, teachers and prominent figures from politics, society and the media.
The winner's certificate was presented by the Minister of the Environment of the state of Lower Saxony, Hans-Heinrich Sander. The presentation has hosted by Volker Angres, Head of the Environment Editorial Department of ZDF television. The broadcasting station covered the presentation.
 
The campaign to increase sales of ecologically friendly school stationery was also continued nationwide in Germany in 2006. During the campaign customers received a free Clemens Clever mouse pad when buying ecologically friendly products.

This project is aimed at promoting sustainability: Transferring good practice to a wider group of people, improving public awareness, and strengthening co-operation. The previous successes can be a signal for further providers.

In brief

2008: School campaign with the focus on "30 years of Blue Angels"

2007: "Ecological start to the school year" with a "Wonderfully wild!" ideas competition for pupils

2006: Another campaign for environmentally friendly school items

2005: The "Ecological start to the school year" campaign with a competition for puplis and a launch in Dessau

2003: The revised school brochure "This is what you can do for the environment! Clever in every class" is presented by the Federal Environment Minister, Jürgen Trittin

2001: Publication of the "1^st class items for school" brochure