Organic cheese packed in cellulose-based film

Lidl Switzerland (Weinfelden, Switzerland) is launching a major initiative to reduce plastic. In co-operation with Hardegger Käse (Jonschwil, Switzerland), the retailer has opted for innovative packaging.

Lidl Switzerland is thus taking an important step towards achieving its sustainability goals.

The new cellulose-based packaging is used for organic Alpstein mountain cheese and organic Usserrhödler mountain cheese. Compared to the previous plastic packaging, the cellulose film is free from crude oil-based raw materials and is made from residual wood from FSC-certified forestry. It optimally preserves the flavour and guarantees maximum product safety. The innovative packaging solution is currently being introduced in over 100 shops and is mainly available in German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino.

“We are delighted to be able to offer Lidl Switzerland a sustainable packaging solution”, says Sandro Renz, Head of Sales and Marketing at Hardegger Käse. “Our cellulose-based film offers identical properties in terms of shelf life and quality as conventional plastic films.”

Ambitious sustainability goals from Lidl Switzerland

Lidl Switzerland has been committed to recycling and packaging for years as part of its sustainability strategy and is pursuing the goal of reducing the use of plastic in own-brand products by 30% by 2025. In addition, by the end of 2025, all own-brand packaging should be designed for maximum recyclability and contain an average of at least 25% recyclate. At the end of 2023, the average proportion of recyclate in Lidl’s own-brand packaging was over 25%. The target was therefore achieved two years earlier. An important milestone was the conversion of the 1.5-litre bottles of Lidl’s own brand Saguaro with Swiss water to 100% recycled PET in 2022. With this measure alone, Lidl Switzerland saves around 157 tonnes of new plastic per year.