On 8 July 2025, REWE, together with its partners vly, Berief and Oatly, launched the petition "Together for 7% VAT on plant-based drinks too" was launched. The aim of the initiative is to persuade the German Bundestag to reduce the VAT rate for plant-based drinks to 7 per cent in the same way as for animal milk.public interest in the petition and its objectives is high: by 1 September 2025, 142,000 people had already signed the petition - also thanks to the active participation of many colleagues from REWE Group.
„As REWE Group, we have been committed to sustainable nutrition for years.“Hans-Jürgen Moog, Member of the Management Board Hans-Jürgen Moog, Member of the Management Board responsible for Goods and Purchasing at REWE Group, explains: "As REWE Group, we have been committed to sustainable nutrition for years. A central component of this is our holistic protein strategy. Our commitment to alternative and plant-based protein sources does not end at the shelf. We are also politically committed to a fair market environment. "
The endeavour to achieve equal tax treatment for plant-based drinks illustrates this political commitment and underlines REWE Group's conviction that the future of nutrition should be both innovative and accessible to everyone.
The petition and its objectives met with great public interest: by 1 September 2025, 142,000 people had already signed the petition - also thanks to the active participation of many REWE Group colleagues. There were also supporting campaigns by REWE and its partners. The initiative attracted attention through reports in external media, including the sustainable online platform Utopia and the food newspaper Lebensmittelzeitung. In addition, well-known food and sustainability influencers helped to draw attention to the taxation gap under the slogan "Together for 7% on plant-based drinks too". This great response to the petition naturally also fed into discussions at a political level.
One particular highlight was a major event in Berlin, where around 40 committed ambassadors raised awareness of the petition in front of the "REWE Voll Pflanzlich Store" in Friedrichshain and at Berlin Central Station and offered the opportunity to sign the petition. Over oat milk coffee and music, they informed the public and handed out oat milk products from REWE Bio, Oatly, Berief and Vly.rickshaws with an appropriate design also supported the campaign and increased its visibility in the capital.
In a final step, REWE granted REWE Bonus customers a one-off discount of 12 per cent on the purchase of plant-based drinks in calendar weeks 35 and 36, once again highlighting the difference between the two different tax rates.
The petition and its great support mark significant progress in the endeavour to put plant-based drinks on an equal tax footing and underpins REWE Group's commitment to a forward-looking, inclusive diet. #lessisfair
Every vote counts now - just a few more steps to 150,000!
We are on the verge of an important success: our petition to reduce VAT on plant-based drinks has already collected over 142,000 signatures. The goal is 150,000 - and now we need all of you once again, because every signature counts. Every forwarding makes a difference!
Please take a moment to sign (if you haven't already) and actively share the link with family, friends and acquaintances. If each of us reaches just a few people, we can reach 150,000 together.
Now is the time to make a difference - let's make this milestone possible together.
Click here for the petition, send this link: h ttps:// bit.ly/pflanzendrinks