Filled returnable bottles in production on a conveyor belt Filled returnable bottles in production on a conveyor belt

Circular Systems

We promote the circular economy

Our goal is to combine entrepreneurial strength with conscious sustainable action. As a group of companies, we have great leverage in the circular economy. As the Schwarz Group, we cover the entire cycle, from production and trade to disposal and recycling. For us, today's waste is tomorrow's raw material.

A functioning circular economy is therefore the key for us to counteract the limited availability of resources. For many years, we have focused on the collection, sorting and recycling of plastics, which are indispensable for the core business of Lidl and Kaufland - food retailing.

Recycle Valuable Materials

PreZero CEO Thomas Kyriakis in conversation

"Waste is just recyclable material that is in the wrong place – this fact is our mission at PreZero. A large share of worldwide waste is not disposed right or reused properly – and that is a huge problem for the environment. This is why we focus on a closed loop, which starts by having a completely reusable product from retail and disposal up to sustainable recycling and repro cessing into new products. Our goal: zero resource waste across our entire value chain."

Thomas Kyriakis,
Chairman PreZero

To achieve this, we continuously deal with the topics of food waste and waste prevention and examine how our internal streams of recyclable materials can be collected, separated and recycled in the best possible way. Thus, we relieve the environment, reduce disposal costs and extract the recyclable materials of tomorrow from today's waste.

Goals of the Schwarz Group

Food Waste:
By the end of 2030, we will reduce our food waste by 50 percent at Schwarz Group level.

Zero Waste:
By the end of 2025, we will reuse, recycle or recover a significant percentage of the waste generated in the company.

Our measures

A store employee hands over a box full of groceries
Save Food

According to the European Commission, about 20 percent of all food ends up in the bin unused every year. It is either lost or thrown away on the way from the field to the plate. The Schwarz Group pursues numerous measures to specifically prevent these food losses along the entire value chain.

The passing on of non-salable but still edible food to charitable organizations such as “Tafeln” plays a central role.

In Germany, Lidl and Kaufland have also joined the initiative 'Frequently Longer Good' of the organization 'Too Good To Go'. The retail divisions are thus setting the course for strengthening consumer perception for long-lasting food.

A hand with food leftovers on a compost
Utilization of Food Scraps

Despite forward-looking planning and various upstream measures, it can happen that food has to be written off and disposed of. In the Schwarz Group, we want to use leftovers that are no longer suitable for human consumption as recyclable materials, for example by processing them into animal feed or biogas.

In cooperation with "Livin farms", Lidl in Austria is testing another innovative idea: the Viennese start-up has developed a small industrial plant in which mealworms recycle organic waste. The insects later serve as an alternative source of protein in animal feed.

Six bins for recyclables in a warehouse
Zero Waste

A large proportion of the world's waste is not properly disposed of or reused - and therefore represents an immense environmental problem. That is why we at the Schwarz Group strive for closed cycles. Together with other experts, PreZero has developed a new DIN standard DIN SPEC 91436 for the development of sustainable waste and recyclable material management, with which non-recyclable waste can be minimized and optimal recycling and disposal can be guaranteed. As of today, we can recycle over 85 percent of our internal waste.

Recycelte Produkte, welche bei Lidl und Kaufland verkauft werden
Recycling Products

In cooperation with PreZero, Lidl and Kaufland are offering their own branded household goods made from 100 percent recycled plastic. The special feature: we cover a large part of the process through our own group of companies. The recycling material comes from plastic packaging that is disposed of in private households and is then collected, sorted, cleaned, and processed into regranulate by PreZero. The recovered raw material can be used to manufacture high-quality, new household goods, including for example laundry containers, transport and storage boxes. The Schwarz Group will continue to expand the range of recycling products in the future.

Conscious Use of Materials

The CEO of Schwarz Produktion Jörg Aldenkott

"Wheater is is drinks, ice cream or nuts, it is not just the content that counts, but also the packaging. Before you can assess how environmentally friendly a piece of packaging is, you need to consider its full life cycle. We, in beverage production, rely on disposable PET bottles with high recycled content and low weight. As a result, we only transport out water in Germany over short distances. Our bottles are light, hygienic, and safe – and the environment wins as well. After the bottles are returned to stores, they are pretreated in our recycling plants and then processed into new bottles. In this way, everyone can work together to contribute to conserving resources and protecting the climate."

Jörg Aldenkott,
Chairman Schwarz Produktion

REset Plastic – the Plastics Strategy of the Schwarz Group

Plastic has become an integral part of our everyday life and especially the food retail market cannot be imagined without. Thanks to plastic packaging, food is better protected and has a longer shelf life – hence plastic prevents food waste. It is only justifiably criticized if it is no longer recycled or even ends up in the environment after a single use. At the Schwarz Gruppe, we want to rethink the way we deal with plastic.

With REset Plastic, we launched an international and group-wide plastics strategy in 2018 to meet the challenges holistically. As part of this, we save plastic or keep it in the loop wherever possible and focus on high recyclability. Thereby, we protect the environment without having to forego the positive characteristics of the raw material and at the same time come a decisive step closer to our vision of "Less Plastic – Closed Loops".

Learn more at reset-plastic.com

Interim REset Plastic, Status of Objective Achievement