The measures taken by the companies of Schwarz Group for avoiding food waste extend from production through transport to sale. Here, passing on food that cannot be sold but can still be consumed to not-for-profit organizations like the Tafel food banks plays a key role. A considerably bigger contribution to avoiding waste can be made by our customers if they store food correctly and trust their own senses when it comes to best-before dates. This is why Lidl and Kaufland in Germany have joined the initiative “Oft länger gut” (Often good for longer) by the organization “Too Good To Go,” among numerous other measures, and firmly anchored the avoidance of food waste into their strategy. A note on suitable products informs consumers that they should use their own senses to assess the shelf life of food. The initiative “Ich bin noch gut” (I’m still good) has the same direction, with food at Lidl and Kaufland offered for sale with a significant discount a few days before it reaches the best-before date. Residue trapped in machines and waste due to errors in handling raw materials are minimized by.

Correct waste separation is the prerequisite for a successful recycling process, as sorting facilities do not sort as effectively and correctly as people can at home. Consumers therefore play a crucial role here: The more effectively the waste is separated, the easier it is to produce new high-quality recycled materials from it. To increase awareness of this in society as a whole, PreZero and Kaufland have been committed to the initiative “Mülltrennung wirkt!” (Separating waste works!) since 2021 – a campaign of the Dual Systems in Germany. PreZero makes advertising space on a total of 20 collecting and transport vehicles available to the initiative to spread their imagery and messages. Kaufland supports educating consumers with posters in its stores and radio spots about the right way to dispose of packaging and residual waste.

The companies of Schwarz Group are promoting the circular economy approach – from fully recyclable products, through retail and waste disposal, to sustainable recycling and reprocessing into new products. Working with other experts, PreZero has launched the new standard DIN SPEC 91436 Zero Waste for developing a sustainable waste and recyclable materials management system that minimizes internal non-recyclable waste and ensures optimal recovery and waste disposal.

Together with PreZero, Lidl and Kaufland offer promotional private label household goods with plastic components made entirely from recycled material1. What is special about the products made of recycled material: A large part of the entire process is covered by the companies of Schwarz Group themselves. The recycled material originates from plastic packaging that is disposed of in private households and subsequently collected, sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed as regranulate by PreZero. The material recovered is used to produce new, high-quality household goods. These sustainable products, including organizers, waste bins and cleaning buckets, laundry baskets, as well as transport and storage boxes are then occasionally sold at Lidl and Kaufland.

As part of the group-wide REset Plastic strategy, the companies of Schwarz Group assume responsibility for plastic which already exists in the environment and is therefore outside of recycling loops. Already today, here are about 700 plastic parts for every person in the world’s oceans – and unfortunately, this trend continues to rise, since the EU alone increases this amount by 500,000 tons each year. Large quantities of these unused recyclable materials are transported  into seas through rivers. The companies of Schwarz Group support the removal of existing plastic waste from rivers, lakes, the sea and on land through regional clean-up campaigns and cooperations.