The Schwarz Group, the global retail conglomerate that operates Lidl and Kaufland, has made a commitment to reduce the use of plastic in its private label packaging by 30% by the year 2030. In the past year, both Lidl and Kaufland have successfully lowered their plastic consumption for private label packaging by 28% across all 32 countries where they have a presence. Currently, an average of 17% of the material used in their private label packaging consists of plastic.

In Germany, Lidl has achieved a remarkable 56% recyclability rate for its private label packaging, while Kaufland has reached 51%. This achievement can be attributed to a comprehensive redesign of their packaging, which involves a shift towards mono-materials, making a substantial portion of their private label packaging reusable within the same material cycle. The Schwarz Group is also actively collaborating with the environmental service provider PreZero to further increase the utilization of recycled materials.

These efforts align with the collective Reset Plastic strategy, which initially aimed to reduce plastic usage across countries by 20% by 2025. However, this target has already been exceeded, and new goals have been set. The Schwarz Group now aims to achieve a 30% reduction in plastic use in private label packaging by 2025 and a 35% reduction by 2027.

Michael Janzer, director of corporate social responsibility purchasing international at Lidl, emphasized their role as pioneers in sustainable packaging solutions. He believes that this approach will drive positive changes in the market but emphasizes the need for a standardized, industry-wide approach to have a more significant impact.

Janzer also highlights the importance of the European Commission’s proposal for the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which aims to promote a sustainable circular economy. As part of the Schwarz Group, they fully support the EU’s objective of making all packaging reusable or recyclable in an economically viable manner by 2030.