Sustainability
“Once we have conquered nature, we will find ourselves on the losing side.”
Konrad Lorenz, Nobel laureate and biologist
We know we can’t save the world on our own, but we’re doing our best to play our part in creating a better future.
Find out here what we’re doing to operate sustainably as a company. Click on the headings to find out more:
We place great importance on using sustainable resources. Whilst things aren’t perfect yet, we have been working for several years to gradually phase out plastic and use wood and cardboard as efficiently as possible.
Over 99% of our game pieces are made from wood, mainly by a German manufacturer, the family-run company Seidenstücker. We have no plans to switch to plastic.
The issue of packaging for cards and boxes, zip-lock bags and plastic inserts has been on our minds for some time. As a result, you will see fewer and fewer plastic inserts in our products in future. Even though the alternatives are still more expensive, we do not wish to shirk our responsibility and will continue to avoid overloading our games with plastic.
Fair Toys Organisation
As an active member of the Fair Toys organisation, we are firmly committed to transparency, continuous improvement and independent verification of our standards.
Here is a brief overview of what we manufacture:
- Ludo Fact in Germany manufactures the second-largest volume of games for us overall. These include Carcassonne Junior, Carcassonne Hunters & Gatherers, Mist over Carcassonne, El Grande, Cardia, as well as, for example, Citadels, Paleolino and, previously, Hadara.
- ASS Altenburger in Germany produces the largest number of games for us overall. These include the Carcassonne base game, Carcassonne Junior, Carcassonne Hunters & Gatherers, as well as games such as Hadara and Paleo.
- Friedmann Print: Various mini-expansions, such as those for Paleo, are also manufactured in Germany as part of the LudoFact Group
- Seidenstücker is the supplier of almost all wooden components. Millions of meeple are manufactured every year in the heart of Germany and then shipped all over the world.
- NSF in den Niederlanden has produced the Carcassonne Big Box for us, as well as a number of special editions such as Carcassonne Amazonas.
- Cartamundi USA: Production of the Carcassonne base game in the USA in 2025 and 2026
- Fabryka Kart: Individual smaller projects, such as a Cardia extension, are manufactured in Poland
- Panda: A few small orders for the first Cardia playmat and special tokens arrived from China in 2025
- Kraken: Speciality products such as playmats are now also available from Germany
- Haba Deutschland: We chose HABA as the manufacturer of the wooden components for our new children’s game “Paleolino” because of their specialised manufacturing processes
- Wissner: This is where we receive a large plastic part for Paleolino. It is also manufactured in Germany using recycled plastic
What else is involved in sustainability?
We also make sure to optimise travel routes to events, trade fairs and meetings. The Bahncard and public transport season tickets/company bikes for our team are therefore not just incentives, but also an important part of our philosophy.
Outside of our business, we support initiatives such as the Boardgame Road uand various other projects.
Do you have a sustainability project and are you looking for supporters?
Feel free to get in touch!
Statement of Principles on Respect for Human Rights
- Responsibility for human rights in the toy industry
As a long-established company in the toy industry, Hans im Glück Verlags GmbH is mindful of its social, environmental and human rights responsibilities throughout the entire value chain. Board games are for everyone – and it is our responsibility to ensure that they are manufactured under fair, humane and sustainable conditions.
With this in mind, we are committed to making our global supply chains socially responsible and to respecting and protecting the human rights of all those involved – from raw material extraction to assembly. - Alignment with international standards and national guidelines
Our policy statement is based on the following key frameworks:- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
- Core labour standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG)
- Fair Toys Organisation (FTO) Code of Conduct
We regard these standards as a binding benchmark for responsible business conduct.
- Membership of the Fair Toys Organisation
As an active member of the Fair Toys Organisation, we are firmly committed to transparency, continuous improvement and independent verification. We use the FTO platform to systematically identify human rights risks, implement measures and report openly on our progress and challenges. - Key elements of our human rights due diligence
- Risk analysis/site visits
We carry out regular risk assessments and site visits to gain a deeper understanding of production techniques and to identify human rights and environmental risks throughout our supply chains – particularly with regard to- Health and safety at work
- Prohibition of child labour and forced labour
- Fair wages and working hours
- Freedom of association and non-discrimination
- Raw material processing and energy use
- Prevention and remedies
In collaboration with our business partners, we take preventive measures and ensure that appropriate corrective action is taken in the event of identified risks or breaches. In this regard, we strive to build constructive, solution-oriented and long-term partnerships with our suppliers.
Our priority is local production that takes place close to where the goods are sold. This means that our suppliers are located in Central Europe (accounting for more than 90% of production volume). We only resort to longer or more distant supply chains in exceptional cases. There are individual production sites, for example in the USA for the North American market, or components that we have sourced from Asian suppliers. The latter in particular may vary from project to project, but almost never exceeds 1–3% of our purchasing volume. - Monitoring & Reporting
We regularly document our progress as part of the FTO’s Fair Performance Check. The results are directly incorporated into our business processes.
- Risk analysis/site visits
- Responsibilities & Employee Engagement
Responsibility for human rights due diligence lies with the management.
Our employees are actively involved in our sustainability goals, for example through internal workshops, communication and the implementation of their own ideas for improving processes, including outside the product chain, such as at our trade fair appearances or in our own workflows and offices. - Dialogue with stakeholders
We are committed to open dialogue with our stakeholders – in particular with producers, distribution partners, consumers, NGOs and industry initiatives. Engaging with civil society organisations is a key source of inspiration for us in driving forward systemic improvements. - Publication and validity
This policy statement has been adopted by the management, is reviewed on a regular basis, and is published on our website. It is a living document and forms the basis of our human rights responsibilities in a globalised market.
March 2026
Our mission statement
Our mission statement is currently only available in German. We are working on making the English version available soon.