// Lidl removes over one billion plastic pieces from stores in Great Britain
// It has prevented the equivalent of 10 million water bottles from entering the ocean
// Lidl pledged to remove a further two billion pieces of plastic by end of 2022
Lidl has removed over one billion pieces of plastic from stores across Great Britain as part of its strategy to reduce plastic waste.
The discount retailer said it has prevented the equivalent of 10 million water bottles from entering the ocean through its use of ocean-bound plastics.
It has pledged to remove a further two billion pieces of plastic by the end of next year.
READ MORE: Lidl pledges to increase sales of healthier food
This includes more than 24 million plastic trays and punnets being removed from its fruit and vegetable ranges, and up to 25 million plastic lids from dairy and yoghurt ranges.
Lidl has already cut nearly 19 million plastic tags from its fruit and vegetable lines, and 3.5 million pieces of plastic packaging on fresh flowers.
“It is fantastic that we have been able to reach this significant milestone which demonstrates our commitment to tackling excessive plastic waste and working collaboratively with all of our suppliers,” Lidl chief executive Christian Härtnagel said.
“We recognise, however, there is still more to do in this area which is why we are pushing to go further by removing even more pieces of plastic from our stores and packaging over the next two years and rolling-out our leading ocean-bound plastic packaging across more and more categories in our stores.”
This builds on Lidl’s existing plastic commitments to make 100 per cent of own brand packaging widely recyclable, reusable or refillable by 2025.
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