Lidl and Kaufland are Leading the Way: Shopping Baskets Made from Recycled Material

They look familiar, but they've got something special: the new shopping baskets from Lidl and Kaufland are made from recycled plastic. This turns waste into a high-quality product that conserves resources and reduces CO₂ emissions. With this step, the Schwarz Group is setting an example for sustainable retail.

In an interview with K-Mag, Jens Schwärmer and Florian Cebulla talk about the shopping baskets made from PreZero recyclate, their contribution to the circular economy and other measures for more sustainable retail with plastic.

What was the main motivation behind the decision to switch the shopping baskets at Lidl and Kaufland to recyclate?

Jens Schwärmer: We want to constantly improve - that is our main motivation for every project. At the same time, we want to use raw materials consciously, protect valuable resources and actively combat climate change. After all, today's waste is tomorrow's recyclable material for the companies in the Schwarz Group.

Florian Cebulla: For this reason, the companies in the Schwarz Group launched their jointly developed plastic strategy 'REset Plastic' back in 2017. REset Plastic includes measures to reduce plastic as well as activities in favour of a functioning circular economy. The use of virgin plastic is being reduced across the Group, the aim is to maximise recyclability or to switch to recyclate. The new hand and wheelie bins made from recyclate therefore also fall under this heading. With many large and even more small measures, we are contributing to the conservation of resources and thus also to active climate protection.

What specific savings in virgin plastic and CO₂ emissions are you achieving through this changeover?

Schwärmer: The Schwarz Group companies are saving more than 390 tonnes of virgin plastic and over 698 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents across all countries as a result of the changeover.

Cebulla: Post-consumer recyclate was used for the shopping baskets. The plastic waste for this is collected, sorted, cleaned and processed into regranulate by our PreZero environmental division. This is then used to make new, high-quality and more environmentally friendly products – such as our hand and wheelie baskets. The entire recycling and manufacturing process is carried out in Europe and is particularly sustainable thanks to the short transport routes.

How do you guarantee the quality and durability of the new shopping baskets made from recycled material?

Schwärmer: Ensuring a high level of quality in the long term is one of the most important tasks in procurement. We rely on long-term partnerships with suppliers who fulfil certain sustainability criteria and a reliable quality management system.

PreZero is also able to provide recyclates of exceptionally high quality and stability. The combination of these two factors enables us to safely use many products that would otherwise be associated with greater risk.

Are there already plans to switch other areas of your shops to recycled materials in order to further advance your sustainability goals?

Schwärmer: Definitely! Other projects are already underway. To name two examples: In addition to the shopping baskets, the Lidl and Kaufland shops are also using impact protection made from 99% recycled material to protect the walls from heavy impacts from shopping trolleys. By switching to recycled impact protection from the PreZero environmental division, the retail divisions were able to save around 410 tonnes of virgin plastic and over 725 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents across all countries in 2023.

Lidl and Kaufland also use recycled plastic film on their store roofs. For this purpose, film waste from Lidl shops and logistics centres is collected, processed in a recycling plant and then turned into roofing membranes. These in turn are used for sealing Lidl and Kaufland properties across all countries. The new roofing membranes consist of 60% recycled material. With the changeover, the retail divisions reduced around 154 tonnes of virgin plastic and around 255 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2023.