Mercadona, faithful to his devotion “Yes to continue to care about the planet”It develops Strategy 6.25 for the reduction of plastic and the proper management of its waste, as well as strengthening its already consolidated systems for the reuse and recycling of commercial packaging.
The strategy consists of six specific actions to achieve success. 2025 triple goal: reduce plastic in packaging by 25%all plastic containers recycleable Y recycle all waste plastic produced in the processes.
For this purpose the company already eliminated single-use plastic bags in all sections replaced by compostable bags of vegetable origin (3.200tn/year); as are removed disposable plastic productsit has been replaced by sustainable kitchenware made from more environmentally friendly materials (-3,000 tons/year). Mercadona and its suppliers also improve the recyclability of packaging, as in the various fruit porridge family, now with recyclable single-material packaging; or Patatas bravas, where the black bottom of the container has been replaced with a transparent base that facilitates optical detection at the selection facility, placed in the yellow container one step ahead of recycling.
3Rs
Mercadona submerged in water Reducing plastic in own branded packaging virgin materials through different strategies, such as eliminating non-value-added plastic, replacing it with other materials (as long as it does not affect food quality and safety), reducing, reusing or incorporating recycled material into its composition; and promoting the circular economy.
In addition, the company continues to gradually improve the information it provides on recycling packaging (pictograms). help your customers sort waste correctly for later recycling, both in stores and at home.
The company encourages changes in its commitment to promoting the circular economy and reuse of materials and resources, seeking more sustainable and innovative options. Some of the latest examples are extra virgin olive oil spray. law enforcement made of plastic (-65tn/year), complete family double format pizzasa packaging applied 23% reduction in plastic (-170tn/year). Other examples are where the plastic has been replaced with other materials, such as in Thai Chili sauce. transition from plastic to glass (-33tn/year); same with hazelnut-cocoa cream (-97tn/year) and mayonnaise (-774tn/year); or changing car air fresheners status plastic to cardboard (-27tn/year).
Another company strategy to reduce The use of unprocessed plastic is the inclusion of recycled plastic in packaging., thus giving a second life to raw materials. An example of these is kitchen paper or toilet paper with 33% recycled plastic in the bag (-174tn/year and -421tn/year, respectively).
In addition, the company ruse of packaging refillsRegen and Prevention like hand soap and face creams, thus avoiding the use of 90 tonnes of virgin plastic.
Investment of more than 140 million euros
Over the past two years, the company has worked hard to achieve the first two actions of the strategy and to comply with the standards. a commitment to transform all their headquarters into 6.25 Stores in less than a yearThis meant an investment of 30 million euros.
The development of Strategy 6.25 requires changes to the different processes of the company. redesign of the packaging of the future in coordination with suppliers adaptation of stores and logistics, waste management process, etc. about a ambitious cross plan to all areas of the company, so Mercadona expects investment Moreover €140 million by 2025 to make all the moves.
Last year Mercadona converted all of its stores to the ‘Store 6.25’ model offering Heads. new section bags, indicator pictograms in containers to facilitate correct separation, bins for recycling in sections, on appetizers and in the Ready-to-Eat section. In addition, the waste management system for this new model has been improved and expanded with a collection of coffee capsules.
It is worth noting that the company strives to improve the correct management of waste generated in stores. Thanks to the reverse logistics and commercial packaging management model, Mercadona recycles and reuses plastic filmpartially, making reusable shopping bagsthus avoiding the use of more than 180,000 tons of disposable materials per year.
Strategy 6.25
this reuse and recycling systems already consolidated in the companytheir strategies preventing food waste and redistributing leftovers and Strategy 6.25It enables Mercadona to recover more than 267,000 tons of recyclable materials per year, which once again becomes raw material in production cycles and enables efficient progress in collaboration with Managers. Circular Economy.
Chain started working on Strategy 6.25 in 2019 Involving all company employees in the struggle to Continue to Protect the Planet and make the different processes of the assembly line more sustainable. In this sense, the company has a working team that coordinates all the action areas of the strategy and consists of employees from different processes of the company such as Stores, Purchasing, Prescription, IT, Logistics, Legal, Finance, Foreign Relations. and it works.
Mercadona provides information on Strategy 6.25 in the ‘Take care of the planet’ section; Also where are your customers? you will find content on recycling, sustainability and environmental commitment It can also be seen in the company’s Environment report.