German retailer Kaufland has launched food items in returnable glass jars as it steps up efforts to curb plastic use and conserve resources.
The retailer is offering around 90 items, including muesli, rice, couscous, sugar, flour, porridge, gummy bears, nuts and dried fruits, across ten outlets in Germany as part of a pilot project.
Customers can deposit the empty glasses at the empties machines, thereby returning the jars for reuse.
'Resource-Saving Design'
Robert Pudelko, head of sustainability purchasing at Kaufland, said, “The responsible and resource-saving design of our range is our top priority. We are therefore always testing new options for sustainable and simple purchasing.
"With these returnable jars, we offer another innovative and practical solution to avoid packaging materials such as plastic, in addition to the unpackaged stations."
The deposit jars used by Kaufland are sourced from Eco Terra, a supplier of bulk groceries.
Eco Terra aims to preserve biodiversity, respect traditional knowledge and ensure that everyone involved in the supply chain receives a fair share of the value created.
Unpackaged Stations
Kaufland is testing the use of unpackaged stations in eight outlets, also in collaboration with Eco Terra.
Recently, it added recyclable cups to its refill stations, to encourage customers to use the stations.
The initiative is part of the retail chain’s parent company, Schwarz Group’s REset Plastic strategy, which is pursuing the vision: less plastic - closed cycles.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Packaging news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
