Schwarz Group has announced that it is seeking to use an average of 25% recycled material in the private label packaging across its Lidl and Kaufland retail divisions by 2025.
The move forms part of its group-wide plastic strategy, REset Plastic.
The update follows the publication of the Global Commitment 2021 Progress Report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an initiative the Schwarz Group joined in 2018.
REset Plastic Goals
Schwarz Group said that it is making positive strides towards the goals outlined in its REset Plastic strategy.
An average of 13% less plastic is used in the private label packaging of the Lidl and Kaufland retail divisions across all countries, including omitting disposable plastic lids for 500-gram yoghurt pots and the use of recyclable stickers instead of polybags in the fruit and vegetable area.
Some 38% of all fruit and vegetable items at Lidl and 57% at Kaufland are already unpackaged, it added.
Since June 2021, all non-returnable PET bottles for the Lidl and Kaufland own brands manufactured by Schwarz Produktion in Germany have been made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) (except the lid and label).
Elsewhere, in cooperation with PreZero, Lidl and Kaufland offer their customers private label houseware that is made from 100% recycled material.
Increased Targets
Against this background, Schwarz Group is now going one step further and increasing its recycling target.
The group said that it is is advancing its vision of 'less plastic - closed cycles' and is promoting the responsible use of plastic, from production to trade, disposal, and recycling.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Private Label news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
