Declaration on barrier-free access
This declaration on barrier-free access applies to the website published a www.blauer-engel.de.
General declaration on barrier-free access
This website has been checked to ensure it conforms with Level AA according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. We are continuously working to fulfil all of the requirements.
Barrier-free measures
We are constantly striving to improve barrier-free access to our website. For this purpose, our website is regularly checked to ensure barrier-free access.
We have taken the following steps to achieve this goal:
Navigation
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• The website is clearly structured so that users can easily navigate around it.
• Uniform menus and consistent user navigation make it easier to use.
• We have included skip links so that users can jump directly to main content without having to navigate through the entire website.
• You will find a sitemap for the website under this link for quicker orientation.
Text and structure
- The language of the website is correct for the version being displayed.
- The contents have been written in clear and understandable language.
- The semantic HTML structure uses logical headings (H1–H6), lists and paragraphs.
- Other links have been given meaningful names or ARIA labels.
- Audio files have also been transcribed into text form.
Screen reader compatibility
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Descriptive texts have been added for relevant images and graphics.
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The context is not changed automatically without input from the user (e.g. the focus does not change suddenly).
Usability with a keyboard
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All of the interactive elements can be accessed and used with a keyboard.
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Optimised keyboard navigation ensures that content is presented in a logical order.
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We have visually highlighted important elements to provide better guidance to users.
Usability of forms:
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Our forms contain explanations, correctly assigned labels and ARIA attributes so that they are easier to complete.
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Error messages have been written in a clearly understandable way and provide hints on what to enter in the input fields.
Enhancements to improve visibility:
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Contrasts, font colours, backgrounds and buttons have been used to improve visibility.
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The font sizes, sentence lengths & spacing have been corrected to make the content easier to read.
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The content can be zoomed to 200% without losing any functionality.
Content with barriers
This website is largely compliant with the statutory requirements for barrier-free access according to Level AA of the WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
However, the following elements and functions do not comply with these guidelines:
Content provided by external parties
Our members are responsible for entering the products and brands in our product information section. Deficiencies with respect to barrier-free access can arise, in particular, in the alternative texts and uploaded documents.
We aim to make improvements in this area in 2025 and are making our members more aware of the issue. However, we cannot guarantee that this section is barrier-free.
Disproportionate amount of effort
It is possible that older content, which was created before the current barrier-free regulations came into force, is not completely barrier-free. It would require a disproportionate amount of effort to subsequently amend this content. However, we are striving to make highly relevant content more accessible.
Documents
Our website contains PDFs with barriers. We aim to make all new PDFs and relevant documents barrier-free from June 2025 onwards.
However, we will still not be able to guarantee in future that documents supplied by external parties will be barrier-free.
Videos
Some of our embedded videos and explanatory videos do not currently have subtitles. Our aim is to add subtitles to all of our videos in 2025 or to offer alternative text versions.
This is based on a self-assessment carried out by the Blue Angel from 24 March 2025 to 25 March 2025.
Screen reader compatibility
It is not yet possible for screen readers to read out our website smoothly. We still need to create a clearly defined user guide and add ARIA labels for better understandability. We aim to make these changes in 2025.
Reporting barriers and contacting us
Have you identified any barriers to accessing content on our website? Then please report them to us. We look forward to receiving your feedback and will strive where technically and economically feasible to remove the reported barriers as quickly as possible. Please inform us of the page on which you identified a barrier and what function it serves.
You can report barriers to us using the following channels:
Contact form: www.blauer-engel.de/de/kontakt
E-mail: info@blauer-engel.de
Telephone: +49 (0)228 68895 190
We will try to answer any enquires within six weeks of their receipt. If you have not received an answer within this period of time or you are dissatisfied with the answer, you can refer the issue to the arbitration service pursuant to the The Arbitration Service pursuant to the German Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities:
Schlichtungsstelle nach dem Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz bei dem Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für die Belange von Menschen mit Behinderungen (BGG)
Mauerstraße 53
10117 Berlin
Telephone: +49 30 18527 2805
E-mail: info@schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de
Website: www.schlichtungsstelle-bgg.de
Date this declaration on barrier-free access was created
This declaration on barrier-free access was created with the greatest of care between 19/03/2025 and 21/03/2025. It will be updated on a regular basis to meet the latest requirements and standards. However, it is not possible to completely exclude the possibility of errors. If you identify any errors in this declaration, please send us a short message using the communication channels mentioned above..
As of: 25/03/2025