The Schwarz Group brings packaging into circulation – worldwide – through its retailers Lidl and Kaufland. As companies of Schwarz Group, we are aware of this situation and the responsibility for creating a livable environment.
The declared goal is therefore to work together with us as the environmental service provider to return as much of this recyclable material as possible to the cycle so that it can be reused as raw materials in products. The group wide circular concept allows us to cover all stages of the recycling loop – from Schwarz Produktion through to retail at Lidl and Kaufland, waste disposal, and recycling with PreZero. This has enabled the companies of Schwarz Group to develop sustainable product solutions from the internal cycle and bring them into the stores.
Recycling loops work
Recyclable materials in the cycle help to conserve natural resources and create value for waste as a raw material – that is the goal.
To meet this goal, PreZero as an international waste management and recycling company collects household waste, such as packaging material, from the end consumer. This waste is then sorted by various materials and recycled.
For instance, plastic waste is cleaned by PreZero Polymers and processed into regranulate.
This recyclate can then be used to produce new, high-quality products, such as homeware, children's toys, or garden furniture. These activities allow us all to support the integrated, international plastic strategy of the companies of Schwarz Group, known as REset Plastic. REset Plastic covers everything from avoidance to design, recycling, and elimination, all the way through to innovation and education on the subject of plastic.
PreZero also recycles aluminum.
To do so, PreZero Pyral developed a unique pyrolysis procedure that allows aluminum to be recycled from waste and used to manufacture new products. This uses just 5% of the energy that is required to produce new aluminum. The recycled aluminum is then used to make new packaging or products.
Our recycled materials offer a decisive advantage over new, virgin material: Reusing recyclable material conserves resources for the production of new plastic or aluminum and saves vast amounts of carbon emissions.
Give packaging a new life: Recycled products with Lidl and Kaufland
Homeware made from recyclate
Gardening accessories made from recyclate
Aerosol cans and pans made from recycled aluminum
Homeware made from recyclate
Give packaging waste a new life. The retailers Kaufland and Lidl have been using this motto to hold promotions for homeware made from 100% recycled PreZero plastic since 2021. The assortment of homeware products, for which the entire recycling and manufacturing process takes place in Europe, is constantly expanding.
The regranulates supplied by PreZero Polymers are used to manufacture high-quality and environmentally friendly products, such as buckets, clothes hangers, laundry baskets, or even storage boxes. PreZero Polymers has 30 years of experience in recycling plastic – with this expertise they process plastic waste from bales and flakes into PP, PE, and PS recyclates and composites. Depending on the intended use, the products differ not only in color and type of plastic, but also in texture. With various fillers and components, each regranulate thus acquires its specific property and is perfectly geared to its new life as a plastic.
Gardening accessories made from recyclate
To continue advancing the use of recycled plastic, Lidl manufactured garden furniture and accessories from up to 100% recycled plastic supplied by PreZero Polymers. Working together in the areas of waste disposal, recycling, and retail allows part of the recycling loop of the companies of Schwarz Group to be covered. Using recyclate saves crude oil, a resource necessary for plastic production. In addition, the recycling process produces significantly fewer emissions than the production of new material. The use of recycled materials from our own value cycle reduces dependencies on external market influences and guarantees quality and access to the material.
Kaufland also offers a colorful range of recycled sand toys in addition to gardening accessories. These include shovels, molds, vehicles, and even sand mills. The toys are made from up to 80% recycled plastic. The products are also part of an awareness campaign to educate children about topics such as waste separation, sustainability, and environmental protection early on.
Aerosol cans and pans made from recycled aluminum
Aluminum – an important raw material, not just for the packaging industry. A little-known fact: Extracting aluminum from bauxite requires a huge amount of energy. So it's all the more important to ensure that recyclable material is efficiently recycled.
As a result, the companies of Schwarz Group launched pioneering projects with successful products in the area of aluminum as well.
Up to 50% of the aluminum in the "Cien" aerosol can – a Lidl private label in Germany – comes from aluminum disposed of in the yellow recycling bag and recycled by PreZero Pyral. The deodorant is available for purchase at all Lidl Deutschland stores. The cycle starts at the point at which consumers dispose of the empty can in the yellow bag. This approach has already produced over 100 million aerosol cans that have been given a second life. Together with PreZero Pyral, Lidl therefore plays a big role in the achievement of the recycling targets for aluminum in Europe.
PreZero has developed some more products from recycled aluminum with Kaufland and Lidl. For instance, they offer pans that are made from up to 100% recycled aluminum. The products are very durable and save energy when compared to conventional pans, thanks to their fast and even heat distribution when frying and cooking. Once again, much of the value creation is covered by the companies of Schwarz Group. PreZero takes over the collection, sorting, and recycling of the aluminum waste, while Kaufland and Lidl develop the products and ultimately sells them in its stores. The pyrolysis procedure used by PreZero Pyral saves around 95% of the energy compared to conventional aluminum production. This makes the pans particularly resource-friendly – perfect for environmentally conscious chefs.