Schwarz Group: interim review and increased recyclate objective
The Schwarz Group is reviewing the objectives and progress of its group-wide plastics strategy REset Plastic. The reason for this is the Global Commitment 2021 Progress Report which was published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, whose initiative the Schwarz Group joined back in 2018.
The interim review shows: The corporate group is making great strides towards its ambitious objectives. Numerous sustainable optimisation measures have contributed to an average of 13 per cent less plastic being used in the private label packaging of the Lidl and Kaufland retail divisions across all countries – for example, by omitting disposable plastic lids from 500g yogurt cups or using recyclable stickers instead of poly bags in the fruit and vegetable section. Already today, 38 per cent of all fruit and vegetable items at Lidl and 57 per cent at Kaufland are unpackaged.
However, the Group is not only reducing the use of plastic wherever possible, but is also increasing its focus on promoting the circular economy and the associated use of recyclate.
Recycled material use of the Schwarz Group to-date
- Currently, 10 per cent recyclate is already used in all private label plastic packaging in the Schwarz Group across all countries – at Lidl Germany it is 19 per cent, at Kaufland Germany 16 per cent (as of: fiscal year 2020).
- Since June 2021, all the disposable own-brand PET bottles of Lidl and Kaufland in Germany produced by Schwarz Production are made of 100 per cent rPET (excluding lid and label).
- In cooperation with PreZero, Lidl and Kaufland offer their customers own-brand household goods on special offer that are made from 100 per cent recyclate – an offer that the corporate group will further expand in the future (plastic content (approx. 95 per cent) of the product is 100 per cent recycled plastic, additional use of additives and colour (approx. 5 per cent)).
Increase of the recycled material objectives to 25 per cent
Against this background, the Schwarz Group is now going one step further and increasing its recycled material objectives: By 2025, the corporate group objectives to use an average of 25 per cent recyclate in the private label packaging of its Lidl and Kaufland retail divisions.
The interim review demonstrates that the Schwarz Group is steadily driving forward its vision of “Less Plastic – Closed Loops” and is focusing on a responsible approach to plastic, from production and retail to waste disposal and recycling.
