Kaufland creates excitement: a cent for vegetable bags, but for the sake of the environment?

Kaufland creates excitement: a cent for vegetable bags, but for the sake of the environment?

The retail giant Kaufland has been causing excitement since the beginning of the year: Customers must now pay a cent for the so-called OUG plastic bags when buying fruit and vegetables. This is under the pretext of reducing the consumption of disposable plastic and sensitizing customers to sustainable alternatives. The head of the goods business at Kaufland, Julia Herrmann, emphasizes that the fee is part of a long -term sustainability strategy. But instead of making shopping more environmentally friendly, it is criticized by the German Environmental Aid (DUH), which denounces this measure as inadequate and as mere greenwashing. According to Barbara Metz, the DUH federal manager, a cent is not enough to have a lasting impact on the buying behavior of consumers. It demands that the costs increase to at least 20 cents in order to actually cause changes in behavior. In addition, she criticizes that Kaufland would like to continue to sell the plastic bags until the European bans in 2030, which is considered unethical, .

The Kaufland strategy is not well received by everyone. Customers are sometimes surprised by the additional fee that has been effective since January. The measure was introduced by competitors such as Aldi in 2019. While Kaufland relies on the voluntary compliance with its sustainability goals, many argue that the introduction of a symbolic price does not represent a real solution to the problem of plastic waste. The Rewe Group also does not think much of pricing; She explains that such a fee has hardly any steering effect. In addition, it indicates her existing initiatives, such as the waiver of plastic bags and the introduction of reusable alternatives. According to the consumer protection authorities, more than 2.25 billion of these plastic bags were used in Germany in 2021, which underlines the urgency of an effective solution, reports Infranken .

Berlin Live