Circular Economy

A SYSTEMATIC RECYCLING LOOP

Plastic is indispensable as a lightweight, hygienic packaging material. MEG, the beverage and recycling network of Schwarz Produktion, operates its own recycling cycle for this purpose: PET bottles returned at Lidl and Kaufland in Germany are collected, processed, and reintroduced into the cycle as raw material. Since June 2021, all of our PET bottles (excluding caps and labels) for these partners in Germany have been made entirely from recycled PET (rPET).

TURN OLD INTO NEW

Today’s single-use bottles are tomorrow’s valuable resources for us. We use

0%

recycled material for bottle bodies in Germany (excluding label and cap).

Circular Economy

KEEPING RECYCLABLES IN THE LOOP

Through a standardized labeling system and specialized collection points at each production site, we ensure that waste materials such as paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, and wood are directed to beneficial recovery. This includes, for example, recycling, anaerobic digestion, or composting. Our pasta specialists at Bon Pasta were able to ensure that 99.7% of their operational waste was put to productive use in fiscal year 2025.

Packaging

INNOVATIVE PACKAGING

We are continuously optimizing our packaging. Right now, the 900 ml Black Forest Cherry ice cream tub is classified as technically recyclable according to ISO 14021. The packaging for Fin Carré alpine milk chocolate is likewise 88% technically recyclable according to ISO 14021. Together with our suppliers, we are testing new packaging solutions for products such as nuts and dried fruit. In doing so, we ensure that our high standards for product protection, transport safety, and practicality continue to be met.

single-use PET deposit bottle

PET RECYCLING LOOP

Our PET recycling loop starts at the reverse vending machine: bottles are sorted and pressed into bales at the central warehouse. At our MEG recycling plants, old bottles are turned into regranulate, which we use to manufacture new bottle preforms. These are then blown into shape, filled, and delivered at MEG’s beverage plants. You can find detailed information on our focus topic page on the PET recycling loop.

RESET RESOURCES

With the holistic circular economy strategy REset Resources, the companies of the Schwarz Group leverage their ecosystem to keep resources in the loop in the best possible way. Together, with our REset Resources strategy, we are setting new benchmarks for European resource sovereignty. By conserving resources, avoiding waste, and consistently closing recycling loops, we make ourselves more resilient against supply bottlenecks. From production and retail to waste and recycling management, every division makes a measurable contribution to resource supply and conservation within its own processes as well as along the supply and value chain.

REset Resources shapes resource management across five areas of action:

REdesign

We design our business models to align with circular economy principles.

Right now, our 900 ml Black Forest Cherry ice cream tub is technically recyclable according to ISO 14021.

REduce

We reduce the use of resources and prevent waste.

At Bonback in Übach-Palenberg, a new donut topping dispenser reduces production disruptions. This results in less waste from un-topped and therefore incomplete donuts.

REuse

We focus on reuse.

To reduce MEG’s truck traffic, we use foldable, reusable mesh boxes for bottle preforms and caps. Since roughly three times as many boxes fit onto a truck when folded, we save around two-thirds of the return trips to the plants.

REcollect

We ensure access to recyclable materials.

Our pasta specialists at Bon Pasta were able to recycle nearly all of their operational waste – 99.7% – in fiscal year 2025.

REcycle

We strengthen high-value recovery processes and increase the use of recycled materials.

In the 2025 financial year, we used approximately 67,000 metric tons of rPET for the production of our PET beverage bottles (excluding cap and label).

The implementation plans for the fields of action can be found under the following link:
gruppe.schwarz/en/esg/circular-economy