Eliminating Plastic: Schwarz Retail Group Supports Project STOP in Asia
Plastic waste in the oceans is a global problem and represents a threat for many Asian countries in particular. In order to do its part in eliminating plastic waste, the Schwarz Retail Group (SRG) (Lidl, Kaufland, PreZero) is now supporting Project STOP (Stop Ocean Plastic) as a technical partner. STOP is a leading initiative aimed at preventing plastic waste in the oceans and cooperates primarily with local communities in Indonesia in order to develop efficient waste management systems on the ground. SRG is the first food retailer to back this initiative, which was launched in Indonesia in 2017. The Schwarz Retail Group’s partnership with Project STOP is part of its group-wide strategy REset Plastic, which was initiated in 2018. “With our plastic strategy, we hope to establish a new way of thinking for a clean tomorrow,” says Thomas Kyriakis, Manager of Schwarz Zentrale Dienste. Five fields of action have been defined for the strategy, including: prevention, design, recycling, elimination, as well as innovation and investigation.
About Project STOP
Project STOP (Stop Ocean Plastics) works together with cities and local communities to create an effective waste management system in order to prevent the oceans from being polluted by plastics off the coasts of Southeast Asia. Project STOP is supported by partners from the worlds of industry and governments. Its objective is to reduce environmental pollution caused by plastic waste completely, recycle greater quantities of plastic and produce benefits for the local population, including jobs. Further information: www.stopoceanplastics.com or Twitter @endoceanplastics.
About the Schwarz Retail Group (SRG)
The Schwarz Retail Group (SRG) is an international retailer with over 400,000 employees and 11,700 subsidiaries worldwide and specialist stores in 30 different countries. In the 2017 fiscal year, it generated a sales volume of more than EUR 96.7 billion. Based in the Baden-Württemberg city of Neckarsulm, the Schwarz Retail Group is essentially composed of the two retailer brands Lidl and Kaufland. In addition to its retail business, it has continuously expanded its portfolio to include production capacities for food. This includes, among other things, MEG Mitteldeutsche Erfrischungsgetränke and private labels in the baked goods and ice cream sector. For many years now, the Schwarz Retail Group has been committed to collecting, sorting and reusing recyclable materials. The retail brand PreZero acts as the group-wide disposal and recycling service provider. With its in-house strategy for plastics (“REset Plastic”), which was launched in 2018, the Schwarz Retail Group was the first retail group in Germany to commit to reducing its share of plastic significantly in production and in commercial business and to increasing its collection and recycling rates further by using cutting-edge technology, thus converting the waste of today into the raw material of tomorrow and closing the material life cycle.