Salzburg carpenters active for sustainability and climate protection

Master carpenter Fritz Schwab sees the eco-labelled carpenters as pioneers in their sector, who also dedicate a great deal of effort to environmental protection through their high level of craftsmanship and creativity. In particular, the Salzburger Tischlerküche, which he awarded the Austrian Ecolabel, meets strict criteria and shows that it is possible to be economically successful without environmentally harmful solvents and solid wood.

The "Salzburger Tischler Küche" consists of local raw materials.

"Salzburger Tischler Küche" is made exclusively from materials that are based on sustainable production and stand for the economical use of local resources. However, it is ultimately up to the consumers to choose such high-quality products and to avoid inferior mass-produced goods," emphasizes the master carpenter.

Josef Graggaber, Sabine Wolfsgruber and Otto Fichtl at the Austrian Ecolabel stand.

Financial support for professional guidance

Sabine Wolfsgruber of the Environmental Service Salzburg emphasised in her statement how important institutional support for companies is in the implementation of environmental protection measures, especially when it comes to meeting the strict Ecolabel criteria: "The Salzburg Environmental Service is an important contact point for interested companies in the province of Salzburg. We offer companies and institutions neutral advice on energy, mobility, waste, resources and the environment. We support you in all questions concerning environmental protection: from individual subsidies to comprehensive climate protection programmes. And of course we also provide financial support for Ecolabel consultations. Our trained consultants act independently. They recognise potential from the outside and work in a solution-oriented manner.

A wooden staircase with Ecolabel from the specialist Wieland

An important contribution to the discussion was made by Austrian Ecolabel consultant Erwin Bernsteiner on the implementation of the Ecolabel in tourism businesses. "I support and accompany businesses, especially hotels in Salzburg, on the way to certification with the eco-label. Here I also see a great opportunity to bring together supply and demand for environmentally certified products. After all, in the province of Salzburg alone there are well over 40 eco-labelled tourism businesses that pay attention to ecological and regional procurement", Erwin Bernsteiner points out the importance of networking and cooperation.

Preserving the added value of the region

Josef Graggaber also sees an important market potential here for the sale of his terrace floors. The Graggaber company, as a wood processor, has focused particularly on the native mountain larch (Larix decidua) and produces scena terrace floors made of larch from the Lungau region.

In his contribution, Josef Graggaber presented best-practice examples from the local hotel industry, where hotels rely on ecological products. This creates a special feel-good factor for guests and also helps the environment. As an eco-labelled company, the surface treatment of the wood here is particularly environmentally friendly and the short transport routes also contribute to climate protection.Since its foundation by great-grandfather Christian Graggaber, the preservation of regional resources has been the focus of our activities. As the first electrified sawmill in the Lungau region, the Graggaber family has always placed particular importance on added value. "For us, this means developing viable processing models for the resources of our region that are geared to the future. The mountain larch wood we use comes exclusively from the neighbouring farm forests and sylviculture. The extremely gentle processing of this fine wood reduces the burden on people and the environment to a minimum", explains Josef Graggaber.

The Graggaber carpentry relies on local mountain larch.

In their final statements, all participants emphasized how important it is that sustainability must be "lived" much more strongly. On the one hand, the range of environmentally certified products and services must be significantly expanded, on the other hand, consumers must send a clear signal in the direction of high-quality organic products.