In future, only sustainability seals that are based on recognized certification systems or have been approved by authorities will be permitted. The background to this is that these labels are not necessarily comparable and it is often not possible to verify how environmentally friendly products actually are. In this way, the EU wants to better protect consumers from misleading marketing.

In future, claims about the durability of technical products such as washing machines will also be banned if they cannot be proven. In addition, you should only have to replace things when it is really necessary and - as with printer cartridges, for example - not be asked to do so beforehand.

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke welcomed the decision: More and more people wanted to make a contribution to greater environmental and climate protection, but were being misled by questionable environmental promises. "With the new rules, consumers in the EU will be able to better rely on these claims in future," said the Green politician. In addition, it is not only good for the environment, but also for the wallet if products are used for longer.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU countries had already agreed on this step. The member states still have to give their approval for the law to finally come into force. However, this is considered a formality. The EU member states then have two years to transpose the directive into national law. (SDA)

The brand world and the corporate design manual of the Swiss Fire Brigade Association SFV lacked unity and clarity in the initial situation. Over the last 150 years, the association's brand had lost its form and clarity due to various interpretations of its use.

Following an in-depth analysis of the brand and a design study, the values were sharpened and the graphic basis for the revised corporate design manual was created: with a new logo, new font, illustrations, color and imagery. In addition, the "Swissfire" association label was stylistically adapted and an application concept defined. This was followed by the adaptation of business stationery and information documents as well as the design of new merchandise items. At the same time, the trilingual website Swissfire.ch newly conceived and designed.

Stämpfli Kommunikation was responsible for the design concept and orchestrated the entire project, including all graphic services and image processing.

"The initial situation was unusual for Stämpfli Kommunikation; the usual project schedule could not be adhered to due to the urgency. On the one hand, the corporate design manual had to be developed and, on the other, the website had to be designed. The task was not an easy one, but the Stämpfli team implemented it flawlessly," says Hanan Estelle Bouâllègue, project manager for marketing and association communications at SFV.

"The challenge was to translate the contrast between the official appearance of the fire department association and the often heroic world of the fire department into a contemporary design language. The primary colors red and dark blue were derived from the colors of fire protection vehicles and work uniforms and combined to form a diagonal stripe pattern, as is familiar from warning tapes, fire engines or firefighters' equipment, for example. The design is simple and memorable and strengthens the emotional connection to the target group," adds Rahel Grünig, Head of Design Strategy at Stämpfli Kommunikation.

Responsible at the Swiss Fire Brigade Association: Thomas Widmer (Director) and Hanan Estelle Bouâllègue (Project Manager Marketing and Association Communications). Responsible at Stämpfli Kommunikation: Rahel Grünig (Head of Design Strategy), Christoph Tim Schneider (UX Designer), Claudia Fahrni (Project Manager) and Anna Henkel (Designer).

The Andros brand has to assert itself in a highly competitive market, which requires a strong, clear and consistent brand presence. Franz&René therefore considered redesigning the branding, for example to highlight the packaging on the shelves and motivate consumers to buy.

By clarifying the brand platform and developing a corporate design, a stronger presence of the fruit can now be seen in most implementations. In addition, the brand can now develop further based on a coherent presentation and emphasis of the key messages. Measures implemented include new packaging, new fruit illustrations, revised bottle labels, a well thought-out product naming strategy and the definition of trade communication.

Responsible at Andros: Julien Rameau (Marketing Director), Rahel Zumwald (Consumer Dialogue Manager), Lara Horak (Marketing & Communication Coordinator). Responsible for Franz&René: Valérie Pecalvel (Strategic Direction), Luciano Gerber (Client Service Direction), Vincent Eichenberger (Client Service Direction & Digital), Eric Kohler (Art Direction), Audrey Grossenbacher (Graphic designer), Yannic Sommer (Graphic designer). Illustration: Annick Poirier (Colagene Paris). Website: Dept Switzerland.

After 18 years, Qoqa has almost one million members and has since created eleven different Qoqa brand worlds, including Qwine, Qsport, Qhome and Qids.

Base has updated Qoqa's identity to reflect the brand's dynamism. The result is a fun, colorful look with lots of pink, which includes a new logo and a specially created font reminiscent of Qoqa's beginnings. The energy of the Qoqa community should be at the heart of this transformation, and the brand mascot, the otter, is used in various places in the brand world, for example as an infinitely customizable figure for the member avatars and also in other interactions on the platform.

Responsible at Qoqa: Mathieu Pereira (Head of Marketing), Nina Bühlmann (Head of Communication), Séverine Vial (Communication), Thierry Rey (Product Design & Creative Direction), Line Labie (Project Manager & Interactive Media Designer), Aurélie Derguini (TA & Employer Branding Manager), Joann Dobler (Head of Digital), Guillaume Coquoz (UX Designer), Nadine Pilet (Interactive Media Designer), Fabio Monte (COO), Pascal Meyer (Loutre in Chief). Responsible at Base: Anthony Franklin (Creative Director), Luc Vega (Design Director), Herve Rigal (Head of Strategy), Séverine Malant (Strategist & Copywriter), Mirko Mammarella (Motion Design), Vincent Sauvaire (Typography), Alex Howling (Illustration), Edouard Henry (Digital Director), Gérald Moulière (Account Lead), Charlotte De Benedetti (Project Management), Lucie Gratier (Project Management).

The redesign has given Bern Airport's online presence a modernized, appealing and technically advanced online presence.

The implementation of a real-time interface for departure and arrival information is intended to take the user experience to a new level by significantly improving the timeliness and accuracy of information for users. In addition, the flight schedule can now be adapted dynamically and individually, which ensures flexible and uncomplicated operation.

In addition, according to the press release, it will soon be possible to enter exemption permits directly on the website, eliminating the previous media discontinuity.

In an international study in summer 2023, tax software provider Vertex Inc. asked managing directors and executives how their company deals with the requirements of indirect tax regulations and the associated risks. The survey covered 580 companies from the DACH, Benelux, Nordics, UK and US regions with annual sales of between 50 and 500 million US dollars and 500 million US dollars or more.

Sales and value-added taxes: tax compliance as a complex challenge

One thing is clear: determining indirect taxes - which affects virtually all business transactions - is a complex challenge for companies: in the DACH region, half of those surveyed stated that they had had to deal with complaints from the tax authorities, and for a quarter this was very often the case. Internal audits revealed errors in 67 percent of cases, and a good third were confronted with them frequently. This puts the DACH region slightly ahead of the international average, where compliance violations in VAT determination were uncovered by authorities in 62 percent of companies and by internal audits in 75 percent. Financial consequences due to non-compliance with indirect tax regulations were suffered by 56 percent of DACH companies, compared to an international average of 75 percent.

When it comes to tax regulations, the majority shows courage to leave gaps

These figures also match their own assessment. Less than a third (29%) of managers from DACH see their company as a "champion" with future-proof structures for managing indirect taxes. 39% consider themselves to be "calculators" - reasonably well positioned, but with a certain willingness to take risks when it comes to indirect tax determination. 13% classify themselves as "risk takers" - according to the motto: "I can't fear what I don't understand". A full 19 percent state that they are "laggards" - their business activities are impaired overall by shortcomings in indirect tax determination.

Regulatory real-time reporting forces modernization

"In many cases, heterogeneous system landscapes have grown in companies, and with them a wide variety of processes, which means that indirect taxes are determined and checked partly manually and partly with self-made functions in the ERP systems. This takes time and is prone to errors, especially in international business," explains Maximilian Borgmann, Director Sales & Value Engineering at Vertex Inc. "At the same time, tax authorities around the world are demanding more and more real-time reporting - keyword EU VAT reform and eInvoicing. This is forcing companies to digitize their finance and tax functions with appropriate compliance management. In this context, it is essential to automate and standardize indirect tax determination as much as possible." 

Deficiencies in indirect taxes also associated with personal risks

In general, two thirds of managers surveyed - across all regions - are aware that their organization is taking risks when it comes to indirect taxes. Given their current level of indirect tax compliance in the company, a full 84 percent see themselves exposed to personal risks. At the same time, 31 percent of managers from DACH consider these personal risks to be significant. "This also has consequences for recruiting - attractive employers for the much sought-after tax experts in the future will primarily be those companies that are characterized by solid tax compliance management and do not expose their employees to unnecessary risks," comments Borgmann.

Fines, prosecution and personal professional consequences are also the aspects that are most feared when indirect tax regulations are breached. If there is an overall lack of internal management of indirect taxes, this also affects business development. For example, 40 percent of the DACH companies surveyed stated that they are unable to do business in certain regions for this reason.

Incorrect tax determination due to lack of expertise and technical support 

The reason for the difficulties in complying with indirect tax regulations is a combination of many, almost equally important factors in all the regions examined. In DACH, for example, a lack of skills (41%) and a lack of technological support (36%) and data quality (35%) are combined with constant changes to tax regulations (33%) and insufficient digitalization within the company (33%).

The driving factors for improving the often risk-oriented situation with regard to indirect tax compliance are of a technical and strategic nature. In DACH, it is mostly a modernization of corporate systems. This is particularly true for large companies. In second place is the growing number of tax regulations worldwide. The goal of creating a holistic approach to financial compliance is the third most important driver. This is closely followed by the growing online and digital business, which brings with it additional challenges in indirect tax determination.

Real-time reporting obligations put an end to indirect tax negligence 

"Tax authorities around the world are upgrading digitally, requiring electronic invoicing and real-time reporting of transaction data. 'Courage to leave gaps' is no longer an option; manual tax processes or retrospective corrections will soon no longer be possible," explains Borgmann. "What's more, the general digitalization of the finance function is in full swing. As part of this process, routine activities in the tax department are and must be automated and standardized to the maximum extent possible. This gives tax specialists more room to focus on controls and strategic planning, which benefits the company's overall results."

Source: Vertex

VAT in Switzerland: new rates apply from 1.1.2024

The above study focuses on the situation in the EU. However, there were also changes in Switzerland at the beginning of the year. The increase in value added tax came into force on January 1, 2024. The standard rate is now 8.1% (previously 7.7%), while the reduced rate is now 2.6% instead of 2.5%. The special rate for accommodation is now 3.8% instead of 3.7%. This means that companies are faced with the challenge of having to cover these additional tax costs on the one hand, while also having to adapt their systems (e.g. updates to ERP and accounting software) in order to avoid legal consequences on the other. For SMEs in particular, this may be associated with personnel and resource problems. 

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This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/steuer-compliance-fatalismus-trifft-auf-technische-defizite-und-fachkraeftemangel/

As part of this exclusive partnership, Flowbank will act as Alexander Zverev's official financial partner and support him in his pursuit of excellence on and off the tennis court. This collaboration underlines Flowbank's commitment to nurturing talent that embodies values such as discipline, determination and continuous learning.

According to the bank, the collaboration will go beyond traditional sponsorship. In future, Zverev will not only wear the Flowbank logo on his playing kit, but will also work with Flowbank on various projects to promote financial and stock market knowledge within the sports community.

Events and community events

The two partners will also collaborate on events and community events to offer fans insights into the world of professional tennis and the financial industry. To kick off the collaboration, Zverev will play a central role as the face of the second edition of the Flowbank Championship - an online trading competition for sports stars.

In addition, Flowbank is strengthening its commitment to promoting talented tennis players at all levels as the main sponsor of Swiss Tennis and the Gonet Geneva Open. Both sponsorships are for three years. Severin Lüthi, former coach of tennis legend Roger Federer and long-standing FlowBank ambassador, remains an integral part of this commitment.

According to the latest Pisa study one in four young people in Switzerland finds reading difficult. It is therefore hardly surprising that sales in the Swiss book market are trending downwards. According to the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association (SBVV) the year 2023 was less encouraging for the Swiss-German book trade. Annual sales in brick-and-mortar bookstores and online stores were down on the previous year. Added to this is inflation, which is putting pressure on margins. The SBCA has not yet published the December figures.

At Galaxus, on the other hand, more books were ordered in 2023 than ever before. Even during the pandemic years, children's books continue to sell best. Guidebooks were the second most popular item to land in Galaxus customers' letterboxes. Novels and short stories (fiction) took bronze place. However, Galaxus recorded the biggest growth in sales of non-fiction books. In 2023, 59% more of these ended up in customers' shopping baskets than in the previous year. In December, these three books came out on top: Power - The 48 laws of power, The book you wish your parents had read and Piper Breath - Breath

The Best Places to Work organization announced its list of the world's 30 best employers for 2023 in early 2024. Topping this year's ranking for the second year in a row is Novo Nordisk, the global healthcare company with nearly a century of innovation and leadership in diabetes care, followed by Takeda, another leading global healthcare company. AstraZeneca secured third place among the world's 30 best performing companies.

Evaluating and recognizing quality in HRM

Best Places to Work is an international certification program that is considered the "platinum standard" in identifying and recognizing top workplaces around the world. It provides employers with the opportunity to learn about the quality of their HR practices and employee engagement, and to recognize those that provide an excellent work experience with the highest standards of working conditions. With this in mind, the Best Places to Work program has certified leading employers around the world with several years of experience in evaluating workplace culture, employee engagement and organizational effectiveness. To be considered, companies must be identified as outstanding employers on at least one of the continents.

The program works with global employers annually to help them measure, benchmark and improve their HR practices and employee experience, giving them access to the tools and expertise they need to drive effective and sustainable change in their organizations. The companies that made this year's top list demonstrate that they are excelling in the workplace by creating differentiated employee experiences and inclusive cultures that lead to stronger and more sustainable business results. These companies know how to gain a competitive advantage and enjoy remarkable benefits in terms of employee engagement, retention, financial performance and customer satisfaction.

Best Places to Work: The 2023 ranking list

And these are the 30 best employers for 2023 - in 26th and 27th place are the pharmaceutical company Roche and Habib Bank Zurich Hong Kong, two companies with Swiss roots: 

1. Novo Nordisk
2. Takeda
3. AstraZeneca
4. McDonald's
5. Alcon
6. Bristol Myers Squibb
7. Ivanhoé Cambridge
8. BSH
9. Konecta Group
10. Serving dish
11. Alliance Trade
12. Pluxee
13. MSD
14. Fujitsu
15. Old people
16. MoneyGram
17. Lundbeck
18. Schneider Electric
19. British American Tabacco
20. Fifth Avenue Financial
21. Pfizer
22. Beko
23. Diageo
24. Meridiam
25. APL Logistics
26. Roche
27. Habib Bank Zurich Hong Kong
28. Paidy
29. Cipla
30. Teka

Source and further information

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/best-places-to-work-die-30-weltweit-besten-arbeitgeber-2023/

Maestrani has expanded its product range with the two vegan innovations "Minor Almond" and "Minor Dark 60% Cocoa" to complement the original Minor bar. A new brand identity brought a breath of fresh air to the love brand and created awareness among customers. Following intensive advertising, primarily through TVC / YouTube and large-scale station samplings of the new products in 2023, the "The moment belongs to me" campaign that has now been launched is helping to consolidate the brand. The focus is on emotionalizing the conscious moment of enjoyment, which is reinforced by the claim "My piece of happiness".

Celebrated me-moments In the campaign, Rembrand continues to focus on the "relevance through proximity" strategy and picks up consumers where they are in their everyday lives. This is achieved through over 2,000 posters in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland as well as in moving ePanels. The new, grown-up and sharpened brand positioning is translated into sensual, modern images that illustrate the moment of letting go. "Minor is enjoyed in special me-moments. Indulgence is a way of taking care of yourself and living consciously," says Cordula Glasmacher, who is responsible for branding and communications at Maestrani. "Following our successful collaboration in 2022/2023, we are once again relying on Rembrand as a partner for this campaign and are delighted to be one of the fastest-growing small chocolate brands in the Swiss retail sector."

Responsible at Maestrani: Cordula Glasmacher (Lead Branding & Communications). Responsible at Rembrand: Andreas Felder (CEO), Jörg Stöckigt (CD), Melanie Koller (consulting/project management), Alisa Kuratli (Junior AD), Soraia Simão (graphics), Eduard Buchmüller (film editing), Anne-Lena Scherrer (text), Neila Räss (DTP). Full-service production: Studio Ignatov, Denis Ignatov & Justus Ulrich. Media: Nathalie Herrmann (Havas Media Zurich).

The golden flower - ST's logo - has been around for almost 30 years. According to the Swiss tourism organization, today's requirements for a brand with global visibility are very different from those that were set when it was founded. This is why the new brand world will be presented to the tourism industry for the first time at the Swiss Holiday Day in April. 

To ensure that the Swiss tourism brand can continue to develop its full impact in the future and adapt easily to new and future marketing communication channels, ST has decided to create a new, unique and recognizable digital Swiss brand world that will last for a whole generation.

Since 1995, the ST logo - the golden flower - has been displayed millions of times and used effectively on hundreds of thousands of advertising media. It has always given Switzerland a likeable, valuable and very authentic image and has been a strong brand for Switzerland as a tourist destination. Not only ST wore the Goldblume with pride, but also many industry organizations, destinations and service providers. But now it is also time for the Goldblume to enter the digital brand world.

The process of creating this new brand world was accompanied by MADE Identity AG started. ST will define the timetable and framework for the launch of the brand in the coming months. The new brand world will be presented to the tourism industry for the first time at the Swiss Holiday Day in Geneva on April 29, 2024.

Noblelight's specialty light sources, components and system solutions with wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared are used in instrumental analysis, industrial UV curing, water treatment, electronics manufacturing, medical and cosmetic therapy, battery production and beyond. The company has plants in Germany, the UK, the USA, China and Japan as well as several international application centers and sales offices. Excelitas, based in Waltham, Massachusetts (USA), another leader in the development and manufacture of innovative, market-oriented photonics solutions for industry and medical technology, is now strengthening its position in the global market for specialty light sources through the acquisition, according to a press release.

"We are delighted that Noblelight and its strong team are now part of the Excelitas family," said Ron Keating, CEO of Excelitas Technologies. "With our combined know-how and manufacturing expertise, we now offer one of the most comprehensive and versatile lighting portfolios from a single source. We are united by a proven, customer-oriented product development strategy that promises future market success and lasting, reliable business relationships." The Noblelight acquisition is the latest in a series of strategic acquisitions by Excelitas Technologies since the company was founded in 2010. Excelitas Technologies has more than 7500 employees in North America, Europe and Asia and supplies customers all over the world.

"We have great expectations of our new partnership," added Noblelight Managing Director Roland Eckl. "We are thus optimally positioned to provide our customers with convincing solutions and accelerate our growth trajectory." The parties have agreed not to disclose the contractual terms of the takeover. No information has been disclosed about any changes in management or staff at the various Noblelight locations. 

Source: Excelitas Technologies Corp. 

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/heraeus-noblelight-von-excelitas-uebernommen/