Photo: Samariter Unverpackt
René Heiden pulls two glass yogurt jars off the shop shelf, and lists nearby supermarkets in which they can be returned once empty. His Berlin grocery shop avoids single-use packaging in favor of reusable containers, a waste reduction model that is having something of a revival in Germany. Three of its favorite drinks -- beer, water and milk -- are covered by nationwide deposit schemes and food companies are starting to embrace the refill movement for other foods as well. The EU has set targets to reduce packaging 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040. But campaigners say rules to reduce packaging are riddled with loopholes -- and are calling not just for tighter regulations, but also a culture shift. “The best packaging is the one you don’t produce,” says Nathan Dufour at Zero Waste Europe.
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