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Three questions for Matthias Sinn

For Matthias Sinn, responsible for REWE Organic & Innovations at REWE Group, the start of the cooperation with Naturland 15 years ago was a milestone.

Matthias Sinn, responsible for REWE Organic & Innovations (Image: REWE)

Fifteen years ago, only organic stood for sustainable food production in the food retail sector. Now there is competition here too, from carbon farming and the promise of climate neutrality to nature conservation projects. What strategic role does organic play here for REWE?

Matthias Sinn: The expansion of the organic range has been an important pillar of REWE Group's sustainability and product range strategy for over 30 years. The partnership we entered into with Naturland 15 years ago was a milestone in this respect. Together, we will continue to work on increasing diversity in the organic product range. Organic farming plays a fundamental role in the transition to sustainable and climate-friendly food production. However, carbon farming or special projects in cooperation with nature conservation organizations are a useful addition. REWE is also involved here, but the focus remains on organic farming. However, there is still a lack of momentum and political will for more organic farming overall in order to achieve the German government's welcome but ambitious 30% organic area target by 2030.

The Covid period led to a surge in demand for organic food, after which things declined again somewhat due to inflation. What is the situation at REWE? What are the goals for the development of the organic range and what role does Naturland play in this?

Matthias Sinn: At REWE, we see that our customers still like to buy organic - but they are much more price-sensitive in these challenging times. Specialist retailers are suffering as a result and are losing market shares. Overall, we have been recording continuous organic growth again for a year now - especially in terms of volumes. The main driver is our own brand REWE Bio. The aim here is to expand the already very broad range of currently 850 items, almost half of which bear the Naturland label, to 1,000 items by 2025. Naturland is a strategically important partner here.

Buying regional products is particularly important for organic consumers, but Naturland is also an international association. What role does this play for REWE?

Wide selection: Around half of REWE's current 850 organic products are Naturland certified (Image: REWE)

Matthias Sinn: Locality and regionality already play an important role due to REWE's cooperative, regional organizational structure. In our view, there is future potential in the combination of organic and regionally or locally produced goods. But it is also clear that in terms of the broadest possible range of REWE organic foods, it is of great value to us that Naturland is an international association. This means that we receive organic products of the highest quality from abroad - from our REWE organic mountain cheese from Austria to mangoes from West Africa.


This interview was originally conducted for Issue 04/ 2024 of Naturland Nachrichten and translated from German.

Header image: REWE

Naturland Zeichen GmbH

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Naturland - Verband für ökologischen Landbau e. V.

Kleinhaderner Weg 1
82166 Gräfelfing
Tel. +49 (0)89 898082-0
Fax +49 (0)89 898082-90
E-Mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.