Weleda and Dachau concentration camp: complications that are shocking!

Weleda and Dachau concentration camp: complications that are shocking!

In the recent discussion about the natural cosmetics company Weleda, worrying historical connections have come to light. A new study by historian Anne Sudrow, commissioned by the Dachau Memorial, sheds light on the close connections between Weleda and the Dachau concentration camp during National Socialism. Loud n-tv Weleda obtained healing herbs from an agricultural facility in Dachau that was run by the SS and used forced labor.

The investigation shows that Weleda ordered products directly from the German Research Institute for Nutrition and Catering (DVA) during the Nazi era. This facility, which was also run by the SS, researched biodynamic farming methods. A particularly strange finding is that one of the company's antifreeze creams was allegedly used by SS doctor Sigmund Rascher for inhumane experiments. Rascher, who was himself a Waldorf student and anthroposophist, carried out experiments on prisoners on the effect of hypothermia, which in many cases ended fatally.

The connection to the SS

Franz Lippert, a former Weleda employee, played a central role on this plantation and benefited from forced labor. Lippert was previously head of the medicinal plant garden at Weleda and began working for the SS in 1941. Weleda itself emphasizes in a statement that it is unclear whether Rascher used the cream for experiments, and it is pointed out that Lippert's work in the concentration camp was not connected to his previous employment at Weleda.

The study offers a penetrating look at the entanglements of a company that is now known for its natural products. These connections cast a shadow over the ethical principles of organic farming that Weleda promotes.

Sustainability in focus

In the test of strength between historical revelations and modern standards, the discussion about sustainability in agriculture must not be forgotten. Biodynamic agriculture is generally understood to be the most sustainable form of cultivation. The Wünnerhof and Gut Marienhof businesses in Hattingen rely on rich crop rotation and biodiversity, entirely in line with what biodynamic agriculture promises. Among other things, our own compost and manure are used here and represent species-appropriate animal husbandry.

• Marienhof: Braunviehherde, Schweine, Pferde, Ziegen
• Wünnerhof: Rinder, Hühner, Ziegen, Schafe

The use of non-seed varieties and the avoidance of genetic engineering are a matter of course in these farms. They have committed themselves to the closed farm cycle, which impressively underlines the principles of biodynamic agriculture and forms a contrast to the dark chapters of the past.

The current revelations surrounding Weleda not only raise questions about the company's involvement in the Nazi era, but also call for people to make their own purchasing decisions more consciously, especially when it comes to natural products. The past remains a memorial for the present.