Kaufland and Lidl will gradually replace plastic products with alternative items made of sustainable recyclable materials.
The Lidl Croatia trade chain plans to stop selling single-use plastic products by the end of 2019, announced the company in a statement. “Lidl Croatia will stop selling single-use plastic products in all its 95 stores in the country by the end of 2019. This includes drinking straws, disposable cups and glasses, plates, cutlery and ear sticks with plastic handles,” said Lidl.
Disposable plastic products will be gradually replaced by alternative items made of sustainable recyclable materials. Lidl is proactively cooperating with their suppliers on the development of such products. “With our anti-plastic strategy, we are following a clear approach – avoid, reduce, recycle. Eliminating disposable plastic products from our range will decrease usage of plastic products and thus contribute to improving the environmental situation," said Bojan Vuković, a member of Lidl Croatia’s board of directors.
Lidl Croatia plans to sell the products which have already been delivered to the chain and then progressively switch to more sustainable materials. As stated, customers will be able to buy more environmentally-friendly alternatives to the products they are accustomed to. Lidl Croatia is actively working in the direction of developing and implementing new projects and initiatives to reduce the usage of plastics.
“We are working on different concepts and we will gradually inform customers about new developments and changes. There are many opportunities, especially in the packaging field, that we are currently analysing and which can make a difference,” Vuković said.
The Kaufland retail chain also plans to withdraw selected plastic items from its stores by the end of 2019, and reduce plastic usage by at least 20 percent by 2025. It also wants to make its own branded packaging suitable for recycling.
“We are already working on reducing the usage of different types of plastic packaging, and plastic packaging of our own brands will be completely converted to recyclable materials. That will significantly reduce the environmental burden,” explained Kaufland’s acquisition manager Philipp Maximilian Sohler.
The products that will be withdrawn by the end of 2019 include plastic ear sticks, which will be replaced by alternative solutions in all countries, as well as plastic drinking straws and disposable plastic dishes.
