from
Lea Hampel and Silvia Liebrich
A tour of the supermarket is enough. The label “climate-neutral” is emblazoned on the “green-eared bunny” gummy bears from Katjes, and on the lid of some Hipp baby porridge, such as “ham noodles with tomatoes and carrots”, it even says “climate-positive”. And at Edeka, the goods end up in a paper bag that also has the word “climate neutral” emblazoned on it. Anyone who goes shopping today gets the impression: melting glaciers, rising sea levels, all of this can be stopped if the consumer buys the right products. In fact, many customers state in surveys that sustainability is important to them when shopping. Very few, however, understand what the term “climate neutrality” is supposed to mean, as recently a survey by the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center has shown. So what is behind the terms? And do they keep their promises?