Wholesale giant Metro AG has announced a partnership with Plastic Bank, which will see it collect more than 65 million plastic bottles, equivalent to more than one million kilograms of plastic waste, before they enter the world's oceans.
The Metro Plastic Initiative was launched on World Ocean Day, which took place on 8 June, and will encompass 24 countries in which the wholesaler has a presence.
“Sustainability is a strategic must for all companies," commented Andrea Euenheim, who is responsible for sustainability in Metro's management board. "At Metro we pave the way for our 16 million customers to run their businesses sustainably.
"With the Metro Plastic Initiative, we empower them on the one side to tackle plastic waste in their own operations. On the other side we join forces with them, selected suppliers, and Plastic Bank to keep around 1.3 million kilos of plastic waste out of the oceans annually, while supporting vulnerable coastal communities at the same time."
Circular Economy
Plastic Bank, which was founded in 2013, aims to revolutionise the world's recycling systems to create a regenerative, inclusive, and circular plastic economy. The plastic it collects is re-used and re-integrated into products and packaging, creating a closed-loop recycling supply chain.
Other businesses that have declared their support for Plastic Bank include PepsiCo, Reckitt, SC Johnson, Unilever, GSK, Nestle Professional, P&G, Essity, Fromagerie Bel, Henkel, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Coca-Cola HBC and Danone.
“Our partnership with Metro and its partners is helping the world prevent plastic waste from entering the oceans while improving the lives of collector communities,” commented David Katz, Founder and CEO at Plastic Bank. “This initiative will help brands, suppliers and consumers quantify and act on their plastic footprint – increasing transparency and accountability, in a bid to drive real and lasting change for our planet.”
The progress of the joint campaign will be tracked online using Plastic Bank’s Alchemy blockchain platform, from autumn of 2021.
A myriad of retailers and consumer goods firms have recently announced plastic reduction initiatives, including Tesco, Carrefour and Mondelez.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. For more Supply Chain news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
