Lidl Ireland has confirmed that it will shun black plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables, across all its 195 outlets in Ireland and Northern Ireland, before Christmas.
The move forms part of the retailer's plastic reduction strategy, and will result in cutting down black plastic waste by more than 65 tonnes annually.
Sustainability Goals
The packaging will also be removed from fresh fish products by February 2019.
Before August of next year, the retailer will also scrap black plastic packaging for fresh meat, poultry, and cured meat.
The managing director of Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, JP Scally, called these steps "significant" and added, “Sustainability is core to our business and we are proud to continue leading the retail sector in implementing ambitious measures which will deliver real and lasting benefits for everyone.”
The retailer has also announced that it has stopped selling single-use plastic items including drinking straws, disposable plates, cups, and cutlery.
In the coming months, it will also phase out plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
Biodegradable Alternatives
Lidl is replacing single-use plastic items with biodegradable alternatives.
Earlier this year, the company had announced that it achieved ‘zero waste to landfill’ and decided to ban microbeads in all cosmetic and household ranges.
The retailer aims to use 20% less plastic packaging by 2022, and switch over to 100% recyclable, own-brand packaging by 2025.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
