Lidl introduces fresh fish packaging made using ‘ocean-bound plastic’

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Lidl Lighthouse Bay Refresh Cod Fillets

Source: Lidl

The move will prevent 60 tonnes of plastic a year from entering the ocean

Lidl is claiming a supermarket first with the launch of new packaging made using ‘ocean-bound plastic’ collected from beaches in southeast Asia.

The new plastic is 80% recycled and a minimum of 30% comes from the southeast Asian coast.

The move will prevent 60 tonnes of plastic a year from entering the ocean, equivalent to 2.5 million bottles, according to Lidl.

The packaging will be introduced from 30 March on 13 fresh fish lines. The discounter then plans to roll it out across its entire fresh fish range in 2020 and is already exploring further uses. It’s in partnership with supplier Copernus, representing more than half of Lidl’s fish lines, including white fish and salmon.

“By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, according to data from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation,” said Lidl GB head of corporate social responsibility Georgina Hall.

“The majority of ocean plastic enters the sea from 10 main entry points, eight of which are in Asia. Countries like those in southeast Asia lack the waste management infrastructure to manage this problem, which is often overwhelmed by population growth or tourism.”

Lidl has also made the fish packaging more easily recyclable. A new tray will be labelled “widely recyclable”, in line with On-Pack Recycling Label guidelines. It means the majority of customers can put it in a recycle bin for collection.

The move is part of Lidl’s work to ensure 50% of packaging is made from recycled materials by 2025 and to cut out 20% of plastic by 2022. Lidl has also committed to making 100% of own brand packaging widely recyclable, reusable or refillable by 2025.

“We are proud to be the first UK supermarket introducing packaging incorporating plastic that would have otherwise ended up in the ocean, helping to tackle the problem directly as part of our commitment to prevent plastics ending up as waste,” added Hall. “We are actively looking to extend this innovative solution to other product lines to help reduce the amount of plastic ending up in our oceans and keep our environments healthy.”

These are the first 13 products set to get the new packaging made using ocean-bound plastic: