El Corte Inglés is celebrating World Recycling Day with a commitment to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.
The company has already started promoting products that have been recycled or fit into a circular economy model.
Circular Economy
Since 2015, El Corte Inglés has collaborated with the Fundación Crecer Jugando for the Share and Recycle campaign, which collects and donates used toys to children at social risk.
In its previous campaign, 145,308 kilograms of toys were collected in its centres, of which 78% were donated to Spanish charities, and the remaining 22% were recycled, as some 3,000 toys were not suitable for use.
The company has also launched a new service to purchase and repair used mobile phones and sell reconditioned products in the electronics category.
In addition, El Corte Inglés collected almost 240,000 kilograms of used clothing in its centres in 2020 through 49 collection points, in collaboration with Cáritas and its fashion project.
Own Brands
The group has also made a number of its own brand products more eco-friendly, most recently with the launch of its Énemphasis bath line, made from plastics found in the waters of the seas and oceans.
Biodegradable products replace single-use plastic, such as plates and bowls made with compostable cellulose pulp and have the Ok Compost certificate, so they can be deposited in the organic waste container.
The company also markets a selection of FSC-certified, own-brand toilet paper SKUs made with raw materials from responsibly managed forests.
These initiatives will help the company to reduce the carbon footprint of these products by 30%, or about 8 grams of CO2 per shopping bag.
El Corte Inglés aims to achieve a Zero Waste certification in all its centres by 2022, with the group already depending completely on renewable resources for its electricity requirements.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
