{"id":19568,"date":"2022-07-27T09:27:26","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T07:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/de\/?post_type=press_release&p=25211"},"modified":"2023-05-09T16:14:22","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T14:14:22","slug":"for-the-good-of-the-environment-and-climate-and-to-reduce-energy-consumption-rewe-will-no-longer-produce-paper-flyers","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/press-and-media\/newsroom\/press-releases\/for-the-good-of-the-environment-and-climate-and-to-reduce-energy-consumption-rewe-will-no-longer-produce-paper-flyers\/","title":{"rendered":"For the good of the environment and climate and to reduce energy consumption, REWE will no longer produce paper flyers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The end of an era for the retail sector: REWE is the first food retailer in Germany to take the decision to move away from printed flyers. The weekly promotional bulletin highlighting special offers across Germany\u2019s more than 3,700 REWE stores is one of the sector\u2019s longest-standing marketing tools and is distributed to millions of German homes. To support the sustainability and digitisation strategies of Germany\u2019s second-largest food retailer, this will soon come to an end. As of 1 July 2023, flyers will no longer be printed or distributed; however, new and familiar media channels will be used to significantly expand promotional activity. This will have a huge impact on the environment, climate, and the sustainable use of resources, saving more than 73,000\u00a0tonnes of paper, 70,000\u00a0tonnes of CO2, 1.1\u00a0million\u00a0tonnes of water, and 380\u00a0million\u00a0kWh of energy per year. These energy savings are particularly significant at present due to the ongoing debate surrounding Germany\u2019s future energy security, which is why we have expedited the implementation of this decision.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A productive way to tackle the climate and energy crises<\/h2>\n

As part of its sustainability strategy, REWE has repeatedly shown courage over the years, questioning the old ways of doing things and consistently introducing more sustainable alternatives. In this regard, REWE was also the first German food retailer to convert all of its stores to green energy in 2008 and to ban plastic bags from its stores in 2016. Once again, with its decision to stop printing and distributing flyers, REWE is taking the lead in the industry. Not only will this move significantly reduce our carbon footprint, but it also marks another milestone in our climate targets. At the same time, it demonstrates our solidarity in these times of crisis by helping to alleviate our country\u2019s future energy security challenges,<\/q> says Lionel Souque, CEO of the REWE Group.<\/p>\n

NABU, Germany\u2019s largest independent nature protection organisation, has been advising and supporting REWE\u2019s sustainability work since 2009. Their common goal is to reduce resource consumption and prevent waste. NABU was involved in 2016 when the decision was made to ban plastic bags. The paper manufacturing process has a significant environmental impact. Industrial forestry and large-scale logging destroy natural ecosystems and carbon sinks. They also require the use of environmentally damaging chemicals and large amounts of water and gas. It is therefore absolutely clear that something has to change if we want to safeguard resources that are essential for human existence,<\/q> says Leif Miller, NABU CEO. NABU is pleased that REWE takes its responsibilities seriously and is moving away from printed flyers. This is a major decision which will benefit the natural world, and we hope that many other competitors in the food retail trade will follow suit,<\/q> adds Leif Miller, NABU CEO.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A resolute step for greater sustainability and digitisation<\/h2>\n

REWE has been committed to sustainability in its corporate strategy for years and has gradually been transforming its processes and products successfully with this goal in mind. Digitisation is a primary way of achieving this aim, particularly where this offers added value to the customer. The conventional printed flyer has therefore been under scrutiny at REWE for some time. Following a successful trial, the decision was taken to replace this energy- and carbon-intensive method of communication and to move towards more digital-based pricing information and conventional advertisements. In the future, REWE\u2019s more than 200weekly special offers will continue to be available; the only difference is that they will no longer be printed. Instead, they will be sent in an environmentally-friendly format, such as via digital channels like the REWE app and as a range of coupons and benefits. The money saved by ending the production of printed flyers is being invested in other promotional channels. REWE is therefore also making a significant contribution to environmental protection by reducing its use of resources within the value chain (carbon footprint).<\/p>\n

We are rethinking and reinventing our promotional marketing for the future. We want to reach customers of all ages in a modern, targeted manner via the channels they actually use,<\/q> says Lionel Souque. We will of course continue to have more than 200 attractive special offers for our customers every week as usual. We are reinvesting the money saved by no longer producing paper flyers in other marketing channels and selected sustainability projects such as NABU\u2019s climate fund. We are delighted that this is enabling us to reduce our carbon footprint by such a large amount, thereby making a significant contribution to society.<\/q><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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A decision with huge potential savings \u2013 for the good of the environment<\/h2>\n

Until now, REWE has distributed around 25 million flyers per week. In 2021, this involved the production and printing of more than 73,000 tonnes of paper. The paper production and printing processes are particularly energy intensive and account for 90% of the promotional flyers\u2019 carbon footprint. In this respect, the environmental benefit is the best publicity for the acceptance of this decision.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The following comparisons illustrate the potential savings* arising from the switch to digital flyers:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n