Germany: Discounters present themselves 'greener' than they are

The German environment organisation 'Deutsche Umwelthilfe' (DUH) is of the opinion that the supermarket chains Aldi and Rewe deceive the consumer. They say they sell carry bags made out of organic plastic, which can be composted. According to DUH these bags cannot be composted and are not recyclable. Prints of green landscapes and slogans such as 'Zeig der Umwelt ein Lächeln!' (Show a smile to the world around you!) make the plastic bags of Aldi and Rewe look good. According to the environmental organisation the companies want to give the impression that organic products are involved. However, the DUH came, after research, to a different conclusion: the bags cannot be composted, cannot be recycled and are mainly made out of crude oil. The organisation mentioned consumer deception and 'green washing'. The environmental group will now establish whether legal proceedings can be started.

The DUH declared that the plastic bags of Aldi and Rewe are bio-degradable as per DIN-norm (Deutsche Industrie Norm) EN 13432, but criticizes that the plastic bags according to this guideline only have to decay 90% after twelve weeks under certain circumstances. German composting installations stick to a significantly shorter period of between one and eight weeks. "The DIN norm has nothing to do with reality" said DUH.

Rewe have already repudiated the accusation and declared that the criticized bags contain 30% vegetable material and are completely capable of composting. Rewe regard the offer of their carry-bags as a first step in using less fossil sources such as mineral oil.