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Will the free bags return? According to the Swiss Retail Federation, its members are only concerned with the obligation to keep statistics.
KEYSTONE
The obligation of the large retail chains to no longer provide plastic bags free of charge is on the brink. Migros and Coop, on the other hand, want to keep the agreement.
The agreement between the major retailers to no longer give away plastic bags free of charge could soon be history, writes the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. This decision, which was originally made in response to political pressure, was aimed at reducing plastic waste.
Since 2017, retailers have no longer been giving away disposable plastic bags, also known as plastic sacks or Raschel bags, for free, but at a price of 5 centimes. The Swiss Retail Federation (Aldi, Manor, Volg, Spar, Ikea, etc.) committed to this measure with the "Industry agreement to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags". Migros and Coop's rival association, IG Retail, is part of the agreement.
And it was effective: in 2016, the stores in Switzerland affiliated to one of the two retail associations were still distributing 417 million single-use plastic bags free of charge. One year later, after the introduction of the agreement, this figure fell drastically to 66 million, and in 2022 it was still 48 million according to statistics from IG Retail. This corresponds to a drop of 88 percent.
The agreement enabled retailers to avoid legal regulation by agreeing to keep statistics on the distribution of bags.
The Swiss Retail Federation is now planning to terminate the agreement. According to Dagmar Jenni, Managing Director of the association, the objectives have been more than fulfilled and the associated administration is no longer necessary.
The association is examining whether members would like to continue to waive the free distribution of plastic bags without the obligation to keep statistics.
While the Swiss Retail Federation would like to terminate the agreement, Migros and Coop want to continue it. The two market leaders in the retail trade still see the agreement as necessary. According to the Tages-Anzeiger, the two associations are in dispute over this.
Environmental organizations such as Oceancare and Greenpeace are expressing concerns. They criticize the fact that the voluntary measures taken by retailers are not sufficient and are calling for the agreement to be extended to all disposable packaging. Greenpeace warns of the health risks of microplastics, which have already been detected in the air, in food and even in the human body.
According to Greenpeace, should the agreement actually end, this could lead to a renewed increase in the consumption of bags and therefore plastic waste.
The environmental associations also criticize the fact that the statistics are based on the retailers' self-declarations and are not independently verified. According to the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, the figures are repeatedly questioned. A representative of the NGO Ocean Care describes the agreement and the statistics as greenwashing by the industry.
The Federal Council has the option of banning single-use plastic bags without a new law if sales increase again. Rebekka Reichlin from the Federal Office for the Environment emphasizes that such a ban would be possible under the Environmental Protection Act should the number of plastic bags increase again.
Federal Councillor Albert Rösti, who is responsible for environmental issues, could play a decisive role in this matter. Although he is close to agriculture and is aware of the problem of plastic waste, it remains unclear whether he is prepared to support such a strong encroachment on economic freedom.
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.
