It is not, however, the first time McDonald's has tried to block such a move; the packaging tax was proposed in the German city of Kassel in the 1990s, but a McDonald's lawsuit overturned the attempt.
However, Palmer is confident that Tübingen's packaging tax will prevail when the case is heard in March 2022. "We believe that a city has the right to frame such a tax, and then even a big company has to accept that. I can't believe why an international company can't switch to reusables if every small business can do that."
This gives us hope that there might be a way to overcome global warming
Palmer, who was appointed mayor in 2007, is credited by many for shaping Tübingen's green policies, such as obligatory solar photovoltaic systems on roofs and the free buses on Saturdays. "We have seen a reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide per capita by 40% in the last 15 years, while Tübingen's economy has grown by 40%," he said. "This gives us hope that there might be a way to overcome ...