Sustainably Well Designed
In an ecological assessment of packaging and packaging design, one thing becomes clear: the most sustainable packaging is that which doesn't exist. Our motto in the REdesign action area is the same: we do without packaging wherever it's not strictly necessary.
Nevertheless, we still need to take the entire life cycle assessment into consideration. When all is said and done, packaging protects perishable, sensitive food, prolongs its shelf life and thereby prevents food losses, fulfills hygienic requirements, and also helps customers to carry home their purchases. For example, packaging can increase the shelf lives of some fruits and vegetables by up to a fourth. Using plastic as a packaging material and dispensing with its use consequently leads to a constant balancing act between plastic reduction and food loss.
Where Packaging Is Necessary, We Design it, as far as Possible, to be More Sustainable and Recyclable
And this capability crucially depends on the design, shape, color and material. In optimizing packaging, we are pursuing three main goals by 2025: 100 percent of our private lable packaging needs to be maximally recyclable, and our plastic consumption is to be reduced by 20 percent. In addition, an average of 25 percent recyclate should be used for our private lable packaging made out of plastic.
To that end, our purchasing departments are analyzing the entire assortment of Lidl and Kaufland private label packaging in order to determine where packaging is necessary and how it can be optimized without detracting from either its technical functionality or the quality of the products packaged.
Customer Involvement
In addition to sustainable packaging designs, the REdesign action area focuses on keeping our customers fully informed about the subject as best as possible. Through precise instructions on optimized packaging and proper recycling we also include consumers and their need for information on the subject of packaging design, thus facilitating informed buying.
