LIDL GB has confirmed plans to become the first UK supermarket to incorporate Prevented Ocean Plastic into its water bottles.
Appearing in store throughout July, Lidl’s one-litre San Celestino Italian Sparkling Mineral Water bottles will contain a minimum of 30% Prevented Ocean Plastic, which would have otherwise ended up in the ocean.
With 12 million bottles of the item sold annually, the initiative has been tipped to save almost 100 tonnes of plastic from entering oceans per year.
In 2020, Lidl said it became the first UK supermarket to introduce food packaging using Prevented Ocean Plastic. Since then, it has been rolled out across a range of Lidl’s own-brand fresh fish, breaded poultry, sausage and fresh fruit products.
Lidl revealed it is also taking steps to improve the recyclability of its plastic. Last year, the business transitioned its semi-skimmed fresh milk with supplier Müller over to clear caps. Over the next two months, in partnership with both Müller and Cornish Farm, it is transitioning its entire milk range to clear caps.
Shyam Unarket, head of responsible sourcing and ethical trade at Lidl GB, said, “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. Through this latest product development, we hope to inspire wider efforts across the industry.”
Prevented Ocean Plastic packaging, 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 sorted and processed before being used in packaging.
