DER SACHE WEGEN is a grocery store in Prenzlauer Berg selling unpackaged goods that are organic, fair, regionally sourced, free from palm oil and primarily vegan.

Facts

  • Address: Lychener Str. 47, 10437 Berlin

  • Transport: U2 Eberswalder Straße & S-Bahn Prenzlauer Allee

  • Opening Hours:
    Mon – Fri: 12 – 8 pm
    Sat: 10 am – 6 pm
    Sun: closed

  • Products: flour, rice, grains, nuts, muesli, chocolate, dry fruits, vegetables, toiletries, detergent

  • Contact: Website | Facebook

Plastic and other food packaging generate hundreds of tons of waste every day – making it one of the biggest problems of our time. While lots of people are becoming more aware of their consumption, purchasing decisions and waste production, supermarkets and grocery stores still offer most of their products in plastic containers and other, non-reusable packaging.

However, there are institutions and projects working hard on creating a zero waste environment. One example is DER SACHE WEGEN – a plastic-free grocery store in Prenzlauer Berg.

HOW IT WORKS:

  1. Bring your own food containers (glasses, boxes,  bags, …)
  2. Weigh your containers (and note their weight)
  3. Shop as much as you like
  4. Pay for the exact amount

Benefits:

  • (Almost) Zero waste is created
  • You can shop for the exact amount you need
  • Lots of the groceries are cheaper than in a regular (organic) supermarket

DER SACHE WEGEN (translated roughly “because of the matter”) is one of the few larger packaging-free supermarkets in Berlin and even Germany – another one being “Original Unverpackt” in Kreuzberg. Both stores encourage people to use re-usable containers such as glasses, bottles, bags or plastic boxes (e.g. Tupperware).

As a customer, you usually bring your own glasses and containers*, which you then weigh before shopping, in order for the weight to be deducted at the end. Then you simply go around the store and take as much of the individual groceries as you need. You can, for example, fill up a glass or bottle with almond butter, flour, rice, chocolate, and even detergent.
Also, you can pick up single rolls of toilet paper – unpackaged of course!
At the counter, your containers are then weighed again and the price for each item is calculated individually.

All groceries sold at DER SACHE WEGEN are certified organic, free from palm oil and regional. Also, products are procured from fair sources wherever possible and almost everything sold is plant-based in order to reduce animal suffering.
The store itself is quite big and you can also take a break inside having a drink or talk to the friendly staff.

All in all a great way to reduce your daily waste production and live a more conscious life.

*For customers that didn’t bring enough containers or forgot theirs, the store offers re-usable containers for a deposit or a couple of second-hand glasses to use for free.

We visited DER SACHE WEGEN in August 2018.

DER SACHE WEGEN
Lychener Str. 47
10437 Berlin

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