December the 18th, 2021 - Kaufland has opened its 43rd store in the Republic of Croatia in the City of Zagreb, and its convenient location will likely delight many of the capital's residents.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the newly opened Kaufland store in Zagreb is located at the intersection of Donje Svetice and Planinska, and the building spreads over three floors: on the ground floor there are 136 enclosed parking spaces for customers, on the first floor there is a sales area, and on the second floor there are parking spaces for employees of the Kaufland headquarters located right across from the new branch.

In addition to a large selection of various types of fruits and vegetables, bakery products and fresh meat and other meat products, this newly opened Kaufland's offer is additionally enriched by freshly prepared dishes from Kaufland grill.

The special feature of this shopping chain isn't only the system for sustainable waste management as well as a system for monitoring electricity and water consumption, but also the fact that there is no waste energy: all of the energy is being recovered and then used for heating. In addition, a charging station for electric cars has been set up, in which the power supply is completely free.

Within this new Kaufland store itself, employees have 265 square metres for themselves - more than 80 employees who will work at the new location can take a daily break here if they wish, and they also have a separate space where regular training sessions for staff improvement will be held. The green area next to the new store has also been fully landscaped, given the fact that it was once totally neglected.

"We decided to invest 500,000 kuna in the public green area next to our new store alone in order to renovate it properly. In this way, we want to bring some cheer to new neighbours and customers,'' said Patrick Rudat, President of the Management Board of Kaufland Croatia k.d.

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ZAGREB, 29 Nov 2021 - A newly-equipped inclusive classroom, where students will acquire modern inclusive methods for work with pre-school children, was presented at the Zagreb Teacher Education Faculty on Monday. The equipment is a donation by UNICEF and the Kaufland retailer.

A total of 1,500 teachers will be trained annually in inclusive classrooms for work with children with developmental delays, behavioral problems, and Roma children, UNICEF said.

"All futures need opportunities. In order for all children, especially the most vulnerable, to progress and one day become equal members of society, we must work together to provide them with opportunities for education. Only well-educated professionals can ensure that every child receives the necessary support for development and learning, in a supportive environment. This is an investment that has long-term significance for all future generations. We are glad that our long-term partner, Kaufland Croatia, has recognized this, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for helping to improve the education of those who care about the future of our children'', said Regina M. Castillo, Head of UNICEF Croatia.

(From left to right) Patrick Rudat, President of the Management Board of Kaufland Croatia, Regina M. Castillo, Head of UNICEF in Croatia, Siniša Opić, Dean of the Faculty of Teacher Education in Zagreb, Dejana Bouillet, Professor at the Department of Pedagogy, and Tomisljav Paljak, State Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Education. (Photo: Miljenko Hegedić/UNICEF)

Owing to a donation of HRK 350,000 by Kaufland, UNICEF has equipped five inclusive classrooms at colleges in Zagreb, Split, Osijek, Pula, and Rijeka.

UNICEF is conducting the project for the promotion of initial teacher education for inclusive education in cooperation with the Zagreb Teacher Education Faculty and four other colleges.

Inclusive classrooms are equipped with teaching equipment and aids, basic equipment for sensory integration, as well as software for technology for assisted communication that helps future teachers in practical work and in learning innovative methods for working with children and inclusive education.

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July 6th, 2021 - Kaufland continues to operate according to the Schwarz Group's REset Plastic strategy and has introduced a responsible fruit and vegetable bag, reusable lid, and set clear goals for reducing plastic in the environment.

24Sata reports, Kaufland is the first retail chain in Croatia to completely abolish disposable plastic bags at checkouts, and disposable plastic utensils, cutlery, plastic sticks, and straws were withdrawn from sale and replaced with alternative sustainable solutions such as paper, wood, and other products. 

An additional engagement in the fight against plastics is the responsible bags in Kaufland's offer intended for fruits and vegetables. They are airy and suitable for storing fresh food and can be washed, which allows long-term use, and once the bag can no longer be used by disposing of it in plastic waste, and it can be 100% recycled. Kaufland wants to encourage its customers to, using the multiple variants, actively participate in reducing plastics in the environment. According to Kaufland's internal data, about 100 tons of plastic bags from the "very light plastic bags" category are used in one year in the fruit and vegetable department, so using multiple variants instead of very light disposable bags could reduce the amount of plastic in circulation. 

In addition, a reusable lid for dairy products from brands K-Classic, K-take it veggie and K-bio has been introduced, but it can also be used on products from other brands. In order for the products to be hermetically sealed and stay fresh longer after opening, the offer includes a reusable lid that can be washed in the dishwasher, and with all the above, using this lid actively helps to reduce the amount of plastic in the environment.

As part of the international strategy for reducing plastic REset Plastic, Kaufland, as part of the Schwarz Group, has set two clear goals: by the end of 2025, it wants to use an average of 20% recyclable in its own packaging and 100% of these packaging should become maximally recyclable. By the end of this year, it will completely eliminate the use of black plastic to make it easier to recycle plastic packaging, thus enabling a circular recycling process.

"We approach the topic of environmental protection very responsibly, and through various activities, we try to raise awareness about environmental protection among our customers as well. By using reusable bags and lids, each individual does something good for our planet and creates a better future for all of us," said Marija Franić, Head of Corporate Communications at Kaufland.

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November 4, 2019 - Kaufland will be the first retailer in Croatia to stop the sale of lightweight plastic bags. The new rule will take effect from January 1, 2020. 

Aiming to reduce plastic in the environment, Kaufland Croatia has decided to completely ban the sale of lightweight plastic bags in all of its stores in Croatia, reports N1 on Monday.

According to the Ordinance on Amendments to the Regulations on Packaging and Packaging Waste, lightweight plastic bags are plastic carrier bags with a thickness of fewer than 50 microns. At Kaufland, these bags can currently be purchased at the checkout register for 80 lipa and 1 kuna. However, as of January 1, 2020, these plastic bags will no longer be available to Kaufland customers, who will instead be able to choose from several other types such as paper or canvas bags, the retailer said on Monday.

"We are proud to be the first retail chain in Croatia that decided to do something for a cleaner and healthier environment and ban the sale of plastic bags,” said Patrick Rudat, CEO of Kaufland in Croatia.

In addition to banning plastic bags, as of January 1, Kaufland Croatia will also pull the sale of disposable plastic utensils and cutlery, as well as plastic sticks and straws, and replace them with alternative sustainable solutions. 

Recall, with the new Sustainable Waste Management Act by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which should be adopted in the second quarter of 2020, it will be impossible to place some disposable plastic products on the market, 24 Sata reported back in September.

The list includes cotton swabs, cutlery, plates, straws, beverage stirrers, balloon holders, food containers, styrofoam cups, and oxo-degradable plastic products that later decompose into invisible microplastics. The product list may also be expanded, depending on the results of the consumption reduction measures for items like plastic bags.

Specifically, on January 1, 2019, the implementation of measures to reduce the consumption of lightweight and very lightweight plastic bags began, and manufacturers and sellers are required to submit information to the Environmental and Energy Efficiency Fund about the quantity of bags placed on the market. In May 2020, we will also have results from the implementation of these measures, which also includes the mandatory payment for plastic bags and educating citizens. The EU's deadline for banning these products is July 3, 2021.

Vecernji List wrote back in 2017 that the estimated annual consumption of carrying bags in the Republic of Croatia is around 8000 tons. According to the European Commission recommendation that the EU Member States use bags that weigh an average 8.5 grams, it follows that the annual consumption of bags in Croatia is about 954,000,000 bags, or 212 bags per capita per year.

According to the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, which opposes such a ban, 8200 workers in 700 companies worked in the plastics and rubber industry last year. Production increased by 50% from 1990 to last year. Two years ago, we exported plastic worth $437 million. Furthermore, the Croatian Chamber of Economy published data that the analysis of the European association PlasticsEurope showed that if the plastic packaging for food was eliminated, the weight of the packaging would quadruple, the energy consumption would increase by 50 percent, there would be 60 percent more waste and twice the greenhouse gas emissions.

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