Deutsche Umwelthilfe: Violations Found in Reusable Packaging Mandate

Berlin – Three years after the introduction of the mandate requiring businesses to offer reusable packaging options, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has uncovered widespread non-compliance among bakery and gas station chains. The environmental group reports that many businesses are circumventing the law, prompting DUH to initiate legal proceedings.

DUH's recent test visits revealed that 18 out of 32 tested locations from chains including Backwerk, Junge Die Bäckerei, Esso, and Total Energies failed to adequately meet the requirements. In ten instances, reusable beverage containers were unavailable. In four cases, customers were not provided with reusable cups despite clear signage indicating their availability, and in another four, reusable options existed but lacked proper informational displays.

The organization claims that the provision of reusable packaging is being deliberately kept minimal, with three locations even having rescinded their reusable options entirely. DUH is calling for urgent improvements from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, including a nationwide levy on single-use packaging and an expansion of the mandate to cover food containers.

"Our new test visits show that bakery and gas station chains are not taking the reusable packaging mandate seriously, even three years later, and are boycotting it," stated Barbara Metz, Federal Managing Director of DUH. "To finally create an incentive for the use of reusable packaging in the gastronomy sector, the Minister for the Environment must introduce a nationwide levy on single-use packaging."

Since 2023, DUH has audited 208 branches across 52 chains, identifying violations in 116 of them. The organization has a track record of legal success, having won 22 lawsuits against food service chains.