Lidl is on track to hit its target of using 20% less plastic across its private label packaging by 2025, according to retail analysis organisation, IGD.

The discount retailer fell just 2% below this target in the last financial year, as its private label packaging has used 18% less plastic.

With 50% of its private label packaging recyclable, Lidl is already more than halfway towards its aim of making 100% of private label packaging fully recyclable within the remaining three-year time frame.

At present, 14% of Lidl’s private label packaging is made from recyclate (recycled materials) – something which it intends to boost significantly as it aims for a 25% goal by 2025. The retailer is also looking to hit these targets in its founding country, Germany, where 23% of its private label packaging is already made from recyclable materials.

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In a bid to reduce plastic wastage, Lidl announced in July that it has already prevented the equivalent of 10 million water bottles from entering the ocean through its use of ocean-bound plastics.

It also removed almost 19 million plastic bags from its fresh produce and a further 3.5 million pieces of plastic from its flowers.

To continue its mission, Lidl has also pledged to cut a further two billion pieces of plastic by the end of next year.

This news comes as plastic bag usage has dropped by 97% since a 5p charge was first introduced in 2015 according to figures by data platform and charity, Wrap.

Prior to charges implemented in 2014, 7.6 billion single-use carrier bags were used, a significant drop from 2021 to 2022 when 197 million were sold by the UK’s main retailers.

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