in Germany, the madness of fireworks for New Year’s Eve

Every year, the Germans set off their fireworks at midnight sharp on December 31, a tradition firmly anchored across the Rhine.

Slamming trunks and a long line of cars. From 6 a.m., Thursday December 28, the first customers are there. Among them, Andreas, 51, stacks two large boxes in his trunk: “There are around ten rockets, firecrackers, around fifty in total and in all colors blue, red, silver, gold… I took some for 70 euros”he specifies.

Weco is Germany’s only fireworks manufacturer, near Cologne in western Germany. The company achieves 95% of its turnover on the two days preceding New Year’s Eve, when the sale of pyrotechnic devices is authorized.

In 48 hours, 6,000 customers will be served, explains Armin, one of the 30 employees mobilized: “Many people who have already ordered ask if they can buy more on site. But we limit ourselves to three packages per car because we are out of stock. We have Dutch, French and people from all of Germany, from Hamburg, from Munich… They don’t mind traveling hundreds of kilometers”, says the employee.

The industry denies being too polluting

In 2020 and 2021, the Covid pandemic deprived Germans of fireworks on New Year’s Eve. This year, with inflation, the prices of firecrackers and rockets have sometimes increased by 60%. Nothing to discourage Nicolas, 21, who drove two hours from Frankfurt, further east, and who has just spent 150 euros: “My dad says I’m crazy for spending so much, but it makes me happy to see these multi-colored lights. I love that. Every time, we try to do a little better than the neighbors.”says the young man.

Regularly criticized for the pollution generated by fireworks, manufacturers have tackled the problem. Paper and cardboard replace plastic in packaging and rocket tips. Oliver Gerstmeier, Weco’s sales director, denounces a false lawsuit against the pyrotechnics industry. “There are fine particles that are released, but they generally disappear from the atmosphere after 24 to 48 hours. If we measure all CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, in Germany fireworks represent 0 .0003%“, explains Oliver Smeyers.

“People often think that we are in the top ten emitters in Germany, but that is not the case.”

Oliver Smeyers, Weco Sales Director

at franceinfo

This year again, fireworks sales are expected to be exceptional. The sector achieved a turnover of 180 million euros in Germany in 2022, 35% more than the previous record in 2019.