Closing the loop: incorporating post-consumer recycled plastic in new Jerónimo Martins’ products
Jerónimo Martins, a food retailer operating in Colombia, Portugal and Poland, seeks to optimise the use of natural resources to foster more sustainable supply chains and consumption practices.
The Group is a signatory of the New Plastic Economy Global Commitment, which encompasses several goals by 2025, including incorporating at least 25% of recycled plastic in Private Brand packaging.
In 2019, Biedronka (Poland) and Pingo Doce (Portugal) rolled out a new washing up liquid under the Kraft and Ultra Pro brands. Each bottle is made with 100% recycled PET, 11% of which is from marine litter, and 89% is post-consumption recycled plastic. The litter is collected by Waste Free Oceans through partnerships with fishers who do so using nets. The bottle is also 100% recyclable.
Also in 2019, the Group started offering check-out bags made with 80% post-consumer recycled plastic in Biedronka and Pingo Doce stores. In 2020, this percentage increased to 85%, and the bags are now Blue Angel certified, a label that differentiates products with a better environmental profile.
Moreover, in 2020, Pingo Doce increased the recycled plastic content of its trash bags to 100%.
- The Kraft and Ultra Pro washing liquid packaging helps avoid the use of an estimated 10.4 tonnes of new plastic per year.
- Since the plastic of the bottle is collected from the marine environment, it also helps to reduce plastic pollution in rivers, seas and oceans.
- The incorporation of 80% post-consumer recycled plastic in Biedronka and Pingo Doce check-out bags saved around 7,000 tonnes of virgin plastic in 2019, reducing the consumption of fossil resources. The increase of the recycled content to 85% is estimated to save around 7,400 tonnes of virgin plastic per year.
- The increase of the recycled plastic content up to 100% in Pingo Doce trash bags avoids the use of more than 1,700 tonnes of virgin plastic per year.