- Vacuum-packed beef mince to reduce plastic use by two-thirds
- Own-brand water bottles to incorporate Prevented Ocean Plastic™
Lidl GB has announced two initiatives that will reduce plastic waste across its 960 UK stores.
The discount retailer has revealed plans to introduce new vacuum-packed, recyclable packaging across its beef mince range that will reduce plastic use by almost two thirds (63%).
The UK’s sixth-largest supermarket will also be incorporating Prevented Ocean Plastic™ into its water bottles – plastic that would have otherwise ended up in the ocean – becoming the first UK supermarket to make such a change.
These latest initiatives form part of Lidl’s commitment to tackle plastic waste and reduce its own-label plastic packaging by 40% by 2025.
Vacuum-packed beef mince to cut plastic by two-thirds
When Lidl introduces new vacuum-packed, recyclable packaging across its beef mince range in early 2024, the switch will reduce the amount of plastic used by 63%.
The new policy will collectively save over 250 tonnes of plastic a year, whilst the valuable space-saving provided by the smaller packs will result in the equivalent of up to 350 delivery trucks being taken off the road per year.
Another benefit of storing food in vacuum bags is the extension of its shelf-life. Lidl estimate that the new packs will double the shelf-life of its 100% British beef, which will half the amount of waste in store.
The new packaging range will provide benefits for Lidl shoppers, including:
- Beef kept fresh for longer – shelf-life doubled from eight to approx 16 days
- Easy-peel film, so that customers don’t have to touch raw meat
- Smaller footprint pack, taking up less storage space in the fridge or freezer
Shyam Unarket, Lidl GB’s Head of Responsible Sourcing & Ethical Trade, said: “Plastic reduction is a huge priority for us, but we also recognise the important role that plastic plays in our daily lives.
That’s why it’s hugely important that our plastic reduction strategy is centred around a progressive circular programme. By ensuring that any new packaging is recyclable, we’ll be able to help prevent plastic pollution in our environment.
Ocean waste destined for Lidl water bottles
From this summer, Lidl’s own-brand mineral water range will include ocean-bound plastic in its bottles.
The retailer’s San Celestino Italian sparkling mineral water bottles will contain a minimum of 30% Prevented Ocean Plastic™ – plastic which would have otherwise ended up in the ocean.
Lidl is the first UK supermarket to make this change, which it says will prevent almost almost 100 tonnes of plastic from entering the ocean each year – the equivalent of nearly four million plastic bottles.
The German-owned retailer has been leading the way in this area since 2020, when it became the first UK supermarket to introduce food packaging using Prevented Ocean Plastic™.
It has since been rolled out across a range of Lidl’s own-brand fish, poultry, sausage and fresh fruit products, saving the equivalent of more than 15 million plastic water bottles from entering the ocean in those three years.
Lidl also recently changed all semi-skimmed milk caps from coloured to clear to improve their recyclability – a switch soon to be transitioned across its entire milk range.
Shyam Unarket said: “As pioneers of integrating ocean bound plastic into our packaging in 2020, we have been consistently building and improving on our efforts since, and are proud to now extend Prevented Ocean Plastic™ into water bottles. Through this latest product development, we hope to inspire wider efforts across the industry.”
Supplied and developed in conjunction with Bantam Materials, Prevented Ocean Plastic™ packaging is made from discarded water bottles in South East Asia, that have been found within 30 miles of a coastline or major waterway feeding into the ocean.
Lidl says that all plastic waste is then sorted and processed before being used in packaging, with a fully traceable process and robust documented chain of accountability.
Images courtesy of Lidl GB.
