„The amendment to the Packaging Act is a German unilateral move“
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Bar ohne Namen
Entschlossen verweigert sich Savage, der Bar einen Namen zu geben. Stattdessen sind drei klassische Design-Symbole das Logo der Trinkstätte in Dalston: ein gelbes Quadrat, ein rotes Viereck, ein blauer Kreis. Am meisten wurmt den sympathischen Franzosen dabei, dass es kein Gelbes-Dreieck-Emoji gibt. Das erschwert auf komische Weise die Kommunikation. Der Instagram Account lautet: a_bar_with_shapes-for_a_name und anderenorts tauchen die Begriffe ‘Savage Bar’ oder eben ‚Bauhaus Bar‘ auf.
Für den BCB bringt Savage nun sein Barkonzept mit und mixt für uns mit Unterstützung von Russian Standard Vodka an der perfekten Bar dazu.
The German Federal Ministry for the Environment (Bundesumweltministerium BMUV) proposed an amendment to the German Packaging Act, even before the negotiations on the new European Packaging Directive were concluded. Now, the two industry associations, Aluminium Deutschland (AD) and the WirtschaftsVereinigung Metalle (WVMetalle), criticize the planned regulatory changes in the Packaging Act, as many points deviate from the new proposed EU regulations, which will lead to conflicts.
The German non-ferrous metal industry, represented by the two associations, supports the strengthening of environmentally advantageous reusable, take-back, and deposit systems. They welcome the BMU's announcement to allow for the coexistence of various environmentally optimized packaging systems with the proposed draft legislation. However, the expected EU regulations of the new European Packaging Directive are not taken into account in this regard.
The amendment to the Packaging Act is a German unilateral move that is incomprehensible for our industry. With regard to the planned new EU regulation, the actions of the federal government are not efficient.
Roland Leder, President of WVMetalle and Vice President of Aluminium Deutschland
Reusable offer obligation and further changes
One significant change in the draft legislation is the introduction of an obligation for all final distributors of packaging to offer reusable options, affecting at least 16,000 points of sale in Germany, according to the BMUV. In Europe, as it stands in the current discussions, only final distributors with a sales area of more than 400 m² would be subject to similar obligations. This means that many small businesses in Germany would be affected, while those in other EU countries would not.
According to assessments from the retail sector, the introduction of the new obligation to offer reusable options would lead to a considerable increase in logistical effort, as reusable systems require a significantly higher number of truck journeys for the return process. Additional costs would arise for the provision of reusable options, as well as for the labor-intensive sorting and return processes, which would have a significant impact on prices in the beverage market.
However, achieving a general promotion of reusable options through an obligation to offer them is not based on scientific foundations and would not be very effective. This could lead to the displacement of deposit-bearing packaging, such as beverage cans, even though they play an important role in the competition among environmentally optimized packaging systems alongside reusable systems. After all, most consumers return cans almost entirely to stores to ensure their return to the recycling process.
Interventions in store layout and sales processes
The new German draft legislation also includes extensive interventions in pricing and the sales process to encourage consumers to opt for reusable options. In order to increase consumer choice at the point of sale, the freedom of choice for businesses, often small businesses such as kiosks, is significantly restricted. The industry associations consider this approach to competitiveness highly concerning.
Further interventions affect packaging generated, for example, in larger self-service restaurants. Here, there may even be a ban on 100% recyclable beverage cans or aluminium meal trays that are nearly fully covered by dual systems or deposit systems.
Press release Aluminium Deutschland
Aluminium Deutschland and WirtschaftsVereinigung Metalle (WVMetalle)
