Grass as material for apple packaging

The retail company Netto Marken-Discount is cooperating with environmental association WWF to make the selection and the delivery processes more sustainable. In particular, the packaging of the company’s own brands has become more environmentally friendly. The newly published progress report documents the goals achieved.

Since 2015, Netto Marken-Discount, together with the nature and environmental protection organisation WWF, has been promoting sustainability with strategic and regularly reviewed targets in its own-brand range. The core of this cooperation is to further improve the positioning of the approximately 2,500 private label products in the net range in terms of environmental protection and resource conservation. The goals are being continuously and consistently pursued, whether they involve more sustainable sources for the fish range, conversion to FSC-certified paper articles, or the reduction of water risks:. Entire product areas have been scrutinised and revised according to firmly defined sustainability criteria. Netto has developed a total of eight focal points with the WWF, with the aim of making its own-brand range even more sustainable and steadily reducing the company’s CO2 footprint.

In 2018, Netto Marken-Discount successfully pushed ahead with the sustainability goals defined with the WWF, for example with wood and paper products, involving conversion of beverage cartons to FSC standards and conversion of end consumer packaging in the Netto private label range to FSC-certified or recycled products.

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Netto customers also get their apples in packaging that consists of 40 per cent sun-dried grass (FSC Mix board) and, the company says, consume less lower water and energy than board trays made of fresh fibres,. Since 2018, organic ginger and regional organic cucumbers have also been marked throughout Germany with a label applied directly to the surface of the tray by laser. This saves more than 43 tons of packaging per year for organic ginger alone.

In the self-service meat range the company reports that it is saving plastic with FlatSkin or Pre-Pack packaging solutions and lighter packaging trays. To encourage recycling, Netto currently offers around 2,000 different beverages in recyclable containers.