First UK supermarket switches to Prevented Ocean Plastic bottles
From July, Lidl shoppers will be able to buy the retailer’s San Celestino Italian sparkling mineral water in new bottles, made from plastic that would otherwise have entered the world’s seas and oceans.
The 1litre vessels will each contain a minimum of 30% Prevented Ocean Plastic. Based on average sales figures, with around 12million bottles bought annually, the company could prevent 100tonnes of plastic waste from entering the world’s waters every year.
Equivalent to 4million plastic bottles, the move builds on Lidl’s history of trying to tackle plastic waste. In 2020, it became the first UK supermarket to introduce food packaging made from Prevented Ocean Plastic, which is now used for own-brand fresh fish, breaded poultry, sausages, and fresh fruit, among other products. It is understood this has so far saved 15million plastic water bottles from finding their way into the ocean.
In a bid to address the whole-of-life impact of packaging, Lidl has also announced that this summer will see its entire milk range switch to clear caps following a successful trial with semi-skimmed. These colourless toppers will support an industry-wide retention of 4,000tonnes of caps being reused within the food sector.
‘Ocean plastic pollution is a pressing environmental concern, it is expected that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. 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,’ said Shyam Unarket, Head of Responsible Sourcing and Ethical Trade at Lidl GB.
‘Through this latest product development, we hope to inspire wider efforts across the industry,’ they added. ‘Prevented Ocean Plastic packaging, supplied and developed in conjunction with Bantam Materials, is made from discarded water bottles found in Southeast Asia within 30 miles of a coastline or major waterway that feeds into the ocean. This waste is then sorted and processed before being used in packaging. The entire process is fully traceable with a robust documented chain of accountability,’
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