In a statement to Sea Shepherd, dm confirmed that it has stopped using krill oil in all its private-label products and will discontinue sourcing all krill-based products across its entire range, in alignment with its sustainability commitments.

As one of Europe’s largest drugstore chains, dm operates more than 4,000 retail stores across the continent, making it the largest drugstore retailer to date to drop the sale of krill products.

The Sea Shepherd vessel Allankay is currently in Antarctica, facilitating the work of an independent team of scientists, studying the impact of the krill fishery on whale populations. Media captured by Sea Shepherd has sent shockwaves through the health and wellness sector, and dm is the latest drugstore that has acted on this evidence and withdrawn from the krill market. 

The decision follows constructive dialogue with Sea Shepherd and heightened scrutiny of the Antarctic krill fishery brought about by four consecutive Sea Shepherd expeditions to the Southern Ocean. During these campaigns, Sea Shepherd routinely documented industrial supertrawlers operating among foraging whale pods inside a proposed marine protected area. Photographic evidence gathered at sea was submitted to dm-drogeri markt, alongside concerns about weakening regulations governing the rapidly expanding krill fishery.

Krill are a keystone species in the Southern Ocean, converting energy captured by phytoplankton into a food source that sustains whales, penguins, seals, and countless other species. When krill populations decline, the entire Antarctic ecosystem is destabilized. Scientific evidence suggests that krill densities around the Antarctic Peninsula — where much of the fishing occurs — may have declined by as much as 80 percent since the 1970s.

Last year, a key conservation measure requiring krill fishing activity to be distributed across a wider geographic area — in order to reduce the risk of localized depletion — was not renewed. As a result, fishing effort has become increasingly concentrated in biodiversity hotspots, accelerating exploitation and intensifying pressure on Antarctic wildlife.

This combination of evidence gathered at sea and sustained advocacy on land is now beginning to shift market forces.

In email correspondence with Sea Shepherd, Kerstin Erbe, Managing Director of dm-drogerie markt responsible for private labels and sustainability, stated:

“As a retailer with a clear commitment to sustainability, we want to play an active and positive role in shaping the future. The wishes and needs of our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Against this backdrop, we decided last year to stop using krill oil in our dm private-label products. Additionally, we have removed krill oil products from other manufacturers from our range. These products are currently being sold off. This decision aligns with our understanding of sustainable business practices and our conviction that we should offer a carefully curated and forward-looking product range.”

The announcement by dm comes just months after Holland & Barrett, a leading health and wellness retailer in the United Kingdom, declared its intention to fully exit the krill category by April 2026. It is the first major retailer in the United Kingdom to do so. The company also introduced the Antarctic Krill Pledge together with Sea Shepherd Global —  a co-authored call to action encouraging retailers to end sales of all krill-based products, and a commitment not to reintroduce them in the future.

Click here to learn more about Sea Shepherd's Antarctic Defense Campaign