Overview
- Environmental group DUH is pressing the government to raise the permitted wall thickness for shopping bags to around 100 micrometers so repeated use is realistic.
- DUH also proposes a deposit-and-return system for plastic and fabric bags to cut the number of new bags entering circulation.
- Activists say some retailers sell bags only slightly thicker than 50 micrometers to bypass the ban, and very thin produce bags remain legal.
- Eurostat reports Germany’s per-capita use of bags up to 50 micrometers fell from 57.2 in 2018 to 30.9 in 2023.
- Retail and plastics industry groups defend voluntary measures and durable plastic reusables, citing studies showing better footprints after roughly 5–20 uses, as lawmakers point to EU packaging rules due in summer 2026 for further action.