Consumers benefit from RAL Quality Marks

RAL has been awarding quality marks for more than 90 years. And these labels have always fulfilled the requirements for them to be up-to-date, neutral and reliable. This is why RAL Quality Marks are recommended as reliable guides by consumer protection organisations.

If consumers base their purchasing decisions on RAL Quality Marks, they can be sure that a product or service will deliver the highest standards of quality. In particular, consumers benefit from the diverse range of aspects covered by the precisely defined criteria that are important for the use of products and services from a consumer’s perspective and which are monitored by independent bodies. These criteria cover planning and consultation, performance and customer service through to maintenance.

In addition, the RAL quality assurance system stands out due to its transparency: the Quality Assurance and Test Specifications can be viewed at any time because all RAL quality assurance processes are publicly accessible. This allows consumers to check whether a company who is using a RAL QUALITY MARK is honouring the quality promise associated with it. RAL Quality Marks are published in, amongst other things, the German Federal Gazette.

We want to show you how the RAL quality assurance system works and what benefits it offers to consumers using three quality marks as an example:

RAL Quality Mark for Impregnated Wooden Construction Elements

No matter whether it’s the owner of a private, public or corporate building or a gardening and landscaping company, everyone focuses on quality when they purchase products made out of wood. If they select wooden products that have been awarded the RAL Quality Mark for Impregnated Wooden Construction Elements, the RAL quality assurance system ensures that consumers can rely on the fact that member companies adhere to the comprehensive Quality Assurance and Test Specifications. These specifications stipulate, for example, which officially tested wood preservatives can be used to impregnate the wood and which methods must be used for this process. The Quality Assurance and Test Specifications also include precise rules for the storage of the products and the qualification of employees.

Preserving resources with the RAL Quality Mark for the % of Recycled Plastic

The recycling of plastic helps to preserve natural resources and reduce CO₂ emissions in the long term. Recycled materials sourced from household waste are particularly important when it comes to protecting the environment. The RAL Quality Mark for the % of Recycled Plastic indicates the proportion of recycled plastic materials from household waste in products in percent and guarantees that these materials can be seamlessly traced back to the relevant yellow sack or yellow bin. All of the processing stages – from sorting of the waste through to the use of the recyclate in the individual product – are documented. This means that when consumers purchase products with the RAL Quality Mark, they can be sure that they are purchasing especially environmentally friendly and resource-conserving products.

Durable, high-quality and environmentally friendly products and packaging are very popular with consumers because they help to protect the environment. The RAL Quality Mark provides guidance when making purchasing decisions and highlights corresponding products for consumers. It ensures transparency with respect to the use of recycled plastic in products and also emphasises the importance of separating waste.

Tested furniture with the “Golden M”

“There’s no place like home!” To ensure that this saying continues to ring true, we often take very special care of our own homes and their contents. This is why an increasing number of consumers place great value on whether the quality of a piece of furniture has been tested when making a purchase. As in almost all sectors, labels also play a huge role in purchasing decisions in this industry. Consumers who place their trust in the RAL Quality Mark for Furniture (Golden M) receive high-quality, environmentally friendly and durable products.

This quality mark indicates that the furniture is continuously tested by neutral bodies and it fulfils the strict Quality Assurance and Test Specifications with respect to quality, safety, health and environmental protection. It is awarded by the German Quality Assurance Association for Furniture, which guarantees the quality of the furniture and helps to strengthen consumer protection. This is because manufacturers are required to fulfil strict requirements before they are awarded the quality mark. The Quality Assurance and Test Specifications cover, amongst other things, how the furniture is produced and how tests and inspections of the products should be carried out in the laboratory. The tests are used to verify, for example, that all of the components in the furniture are stable and durable and that the furniture complies with all of the limits for hazardous substances. Thanks to the defined quality criteria, consumers can rely on the “Golden M” to provide them with guidance when purchasing new furniture. They can rely on the fact that these pieces of furniture have been comprehensively and continuously tested by neutral bodies and comply with the strict guidelines of the RAL quality assurance system.