Neckarsulm, April 10, 2019 — Plastic waste in the oceans is a global problem and represents a threat for many Asian countries in particular. In order to do its part in eliminating plastic waste, the Schwarz Retail Group (SRG) (Lidl, Kaufland, PreZero) is now supporting Project STOP (Stop Ocean Plastic) as a technical partner. STOP is a leading initiative aimed at preventing plastic waste in the oceans and cooperates primarily with local communities in Indonesia in order to develop efficient waste management systems on the ground. SRG is the first food retailer to back this initiative, which was launched in Indonesia in 2017.
Since then, both large corporations along the entire plastic supply chain and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have joined the project, along with numerous Indonesian government agencies. STOP can be traced back to an initiative started by the two companies Borealis and SYSTEMIQ. It supports cities and communities by providing technical expertise and transferring skills to set up waste management systems. The first project was initiated in April 2018 in Muncar, a coastal city on the Indonesian island of Java. Two further city partnerships are to be formed during the course of this year.
Group-wide strategy: REset Plastic
The Schwarz Retail Group’s partnership with Project STOP is part of its group-wide strategy REset Plastic, which was initiated in 2018. “With our plastic strategy, we hope to establish a new way of thinking for a clean tomorrow,” says Thomas Kyriakis, Manager of Schwarz Zentrale Dienste. Five fields of action have been defined for the strategy, including: prevention, design, recycling, elimination, as well as innovation and investigation.
Borealis CEO Alfred Stern adds: “We are excited to welcome Schwarz Gruppe as the first value chain partner from the retail segment, as a technical partner to Project STOP, and we are looking forward to new partners and alliances on our journey to scale up this initiative.”
“For us, Schwarz Gruppe’s decision to join Project STOP is more than just a shared commitment to developing a clean waste recycling system,” says Martin Stuchtey, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of SYSTEMIQ. “It shows that leading companies are starting to offer their products within a circular economy.”
