With a Five-point Plan SPD environment Minister Svenja Schulze for less plastic and more Recycling. What they sold as a reversal of the trend, is a hodgepodge of well-Known and an attack on a German's favorite drink. 0 display

If Peter Schropp offers, then it all looks the same. Four glasses with transparent contents on the table and are filled with non-carbonated mineral water: one inconspicuous, the next bitter, another produces a dry mouth. Reason, the composition of the minerals, Schropp explained. The food engineer works at the Doemens Academy in Gräfelfing near Munich, a training and consulting company for the beverage and food industry. With his colleagues, he has developed a training to be a water sommelier – tasted water, such as wine or beer.

it could be over soon – so anyway, the first demand from the new Five-point Plan, "no to the throwaway society" of the Federal environment Ministry reads. The aim of the package of measures: for less plastic and more Recycling. In eleven pages the environmental Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) describes how she wants to announce to the plastic consumption in Germany, the fight.

in addition to a lot of well-Known it is there right at the beginning: "Our drinking water from the tap is a healthy, inexpensive, and completely packaging-free food." Fast the paper therefore comes to the conclusion: "water bottles is to purchase for the domestic consumption in Germany is generally unnecessary."

Instead of on the aisle in the supermarket, you should put in the future on refillable water bottles. To fill, to build up the Ministry to a "Partner network", so in public places "readily accessible refill stations". For mineral water manufacturers and the drinks trade, the move is an Affront.

you can also read drinks-Check, that's Why the Germans love the false water

Because the products of the 193 businesses that earn in the mineral industry, the fountain of money, are still drinks the favorite of the Germans: Two out of three German citizens have bought in the past two weeks, bottled water or drinking – an average of 150 litres of mineral water per head in the past year. So water is the non-alcoholic beverages, top-of-the rider – with a significant lead over soft drinks and juices.

The industry responds accordingly revolted on the initiative of the Minister – because, with currently 4.6 billion euros in sales and a projected growth of 1.8 per cent per year in bottled water in Germany is to remain a favourite drink. "The thrust of Mrs Schulze is covered and little differentiation", writes Günther Guder, managing Board of the Federal Association of German beverage wholesale trade, to the WORLD.

read also the Recycling of The Germans succumb to the big garbage lie ad

The purchase of water, "was, of course, if possible, in refillable bottles", not unnecessarily, finally, bottled water is enriched from a natural source with appropriate minerals. Who do a lot of Sport, therefore, is about "to be aware of magnesium-containing mineral water," says Guder. "This differentiation is checkered by so a blanket statement is absolutely counter-attack." The proposal of the Minister, Guder, blade for him "like a Veggieday-thrust of the SPD".

Also, the coalition partner of the CDU has little understanding for the management of water plans of Minister Schulze. "The proposals for promoting the drinking of tap water I've read twice," says Marie-Luise Dött, the environmental policy spokeswoman of the parliamentary group of the CDU and CSU, compared to the WORLD. "Green Reglementierungswut shines through very strongly 'to'. We should leave that to the citizens also in the future, what kind of water they prefer to drink.“

done

However, the Problem of the mineral water business also is done in-house For years, the reusable bottle is on the decline: in 2004, the share of returnable bottles to all parts of the beverage packaging was in good 66 percent ten years later there were 20 percentage points less, show data of the Federal environment Agency. Also, the proportion of ecologically advantageous decreased disposable packaging. Is increased, however, the number of other one-way packaging, including cans or PET bottles. Even if the Ministry of the environment holds the water bottle you purchase for "unnecessary", a ban on Schulze calls.

But at least the proposal sounds a lot like the so-called Nudging. With this approach, citizens will be aimed in a certain direction, "pushed", without explicitly bans. Because, in contrast to laws such "Nudges" for less potential for conflict.

read also the abrasion of the tire What the rubber is left

behavioural economist Lucia Reisch, among other things, Chairman of the expert Council for consumer Affairs at the Ministry of justice and consumer protection, but to make it clear: "Basically, consumers have to be brought up nor pushed. It only expands the possibilities“, says the scientist. The Plan of the Minister of the environment is, therefore, emphasizes Reisch and explains further: "The Placement of drinking water containers especially for schools and public spaces as required, and even the overweight prevention."

the promotion of tap water drinking is the great scandal of the presented Pact on the rest of the content close. So, the Federal government will support a Europe-wide prohibition of certain disposable articles, to additional voluntary commitments of the trade, fruit and vegetable packaging and reduce the recycling rates for plastic packaging by 36 percent until the beginning of 2022, on a 63 percent increase. Problematic: Many advances are already a done deal.

Much criticism of Schulz's foray

"really new to all of this is not really. The EU is already working in this direction, the recycling rates will be raised starting in January with the packaging law, and the international support in the case of Recycling, we have decided recently, with the budget,“ says CDU expert Mrs. Marie-Luise Dött.

Also, the Federal Association of the German waste, water and raw material management (BDE) calls for significantly more far-reaching measures: "The concept is a move in the right direction, meet the challenges, but still," said BDE President Peter Kurth on Monday. Furthermore, Kurth criticized: "In the concept of many correct approaches, but are all decided in the discussion, or long-standing."

the environmental organisation WWF criticised on Twitter: "a Lot of it is voluntary, hardly any deadlines for Implementation, no global agreement against the littering of the seas." The Plan to swim "often in the Wake of the already ongoing EU-strategy", said WWF expert Heike Vesper. Rolf Buschmann from the German Federation for environment and nature conservation Germany (BUND) are not liabilities, for the case that the "dialogues" have predicted: "The Plan B is missing." He also sees "little New".

read also the environment, such As collecting trash to trend sports

Schulze was stressed in the presentation of your Plan in Berlin: "We produce in our consumer and disposable society, far too much plastic." This pattern of use will be exported in the Emerging and developing countries, with serious consequences for the marine environment. From 2019, they wanted to put 50 million euros over ten years for the Export of technologies against the littering of the seas.

It is the only tangible investment is presented, the Schulze in your Plan. A look into the offices of their Ministers would have been to throw colleagues, however, just as useful, criticized the German Federal Association for secondary raw materials and disposal (BVSE). Managing Director Eric Rehbock, considers the Plan for an important Signal, warns, however, especially with a view to the procurement activities of the Federal government, the länder and the local authorities: "It is not credible, if the policy calls for more Recycling and use of recycled products propagated itself but a great deal of restraint imposed." It go there in order to huge order volumes, which could trigger a real boost for Recycling.

Date Of Update: 27 November 2018, 06:54