REset Resources – Five Action Areas for Embracing the Circular Economy
Taking Action in Challenging Times
Resource scarcity, rising geopolitical tensions and increasingly polarized societies – these are complex times that call for decisive action. In light of these challenges, the companies of Schwarz Group are setting clear priorities. This also includes the holistic circular economy strategy “REset Resources” and the group-wide progress on the path to net zero.
What is REset Resources?
With REset Resources, the companies of Schwarz Group are pursuing a holistic circular economy strategy that integrates responsible resource management into all business processes. This is a key contribution to a future-proof and resilient economy. Through measurable targets and systemic change, we aim to conserve resources, avoid waste and keep materials in the loop. This strategy is based on five specific action areas:
REdesign – Designing Business Models to Align with Circular Economy Principles
Sustainability begins at the design phase. We develop business models, products, processes and packaging in alignment with a functioning circular economy. This is also reflected in our new packaging targets – we will make all of our private-label packaging as recyclable as possible by 2030.
REduce – Consistently Reducing Resource Consumption
We reduce resource use, avoid unnecessary material consumption and prevent food waste. Our packaging target: 15 percent less primary raw material in single-use packaging for our private labels by 2030 – measured in absolute terms, not relative. In addition, we will reduce our food waste by 50 percent by 2030.
REuse – Making Reuse the Norm
Throwaway culture is a thing of the past. We rely on reusable solutions – for example, in our goods picking processes. We will transition to using almost exclusively multi-use pallets for our internal picking processes by 2027.
REcollect – Targeted Recovery of Recyclable Material
Without recovery, there is no circular economy. We are building effective collection, sorting and take-back systems to recover recyclable materials where they arise – and on a significant scale. On the road to zero waste, we reuse, recycle or recover a large proportion of the waste we generate – and reduce it toward zero.
We aim to collect and recycle the same quantity of recyclable materials as we put into circulation with our private-label packaging and our household leaflets by 2030.
REcycle – Systematic Use of Recycled Material
We promote high-quality recycling that goes beyond recovery – restoring materials to a usable state. Our packaging target: 65 percent recycled material in all private-label packaging by 2030, including 30 percent recycled material in plastic primary packaging.
A Strategic Contribution to European Resource Sovereignty
The circular economy strategy of the companies of Schwarz Group also sends a clear economic policy signal: Europe must become more independent from global raw material supply chains. With REset Resources, we are contributing to this goal – through efficient resource use and local recovery cycles.
“In these complex and challenging times, we are not only consistently pursuing our joint sustainability commitment – we are also purposefully expanding on it. One example of this is our holistic circular economy strategy, REset Resources. We leverage our unique ecosystem throughout the value cycle to keep critical raw materials in the loop, make ourselves more independent of global supply bottlenecks and forge ahead with European resource sovereignty. In short: We do what we do best: We act – and are always one step ahead,” explains Gerd Chrzanowski, General Partner of Schwarz Group.
