Lidl GB has announced that it will be incorporating Prevented Ocean Plastic into its water bottles – becoming the first UK supermarket to make this change.

Appearing in store throughout July, Lidl’s 1 liter San Celestino Italian Sparkling Mineral Water bottles will contain a minimum of 30% Prevented Ocean Plastic – plastic that would have otherwise ended up in the ocean.

With 12 million bottles sold annually, this initiative is expected to save almost 100 tons of plastic from entering our oceans per year, equivalent to almost 4 million plastic water bottles.

The move builds on the discounter’s strides in this space. Lidl has been leading the way since 2020, when it became the first UK supermarket to introduce food packaging using Prevented Ocean Plastic. Since then, it has been rolled out across a range of Lidl-owned-brand fresh fish, breaded poultry, sausage, and fresh fruit products, meaning that the retailer has already prevented the equivalent of more than 15 million plastic water bottles from entering the ocean.

Doubling down on its commitments, Lidl is also taking steps to improve the recyclability of its plastic. Last year, the discounter transitioned its semi-skimmed fresh milk with supplier Müller over to clear caps.

Over the next two months, in partnership with both Müller and Cornish Farm, it is transitioning its entire milk range to clear caps.

The rollout of colorless milk caps this year will support industry-wide retention of 4000 tons of bottle top material to be used again within the food sector.

Shyam Unarket, Head of Responsible Sourcing and Ethical Trade at Lidl GB said: “Ocean plastic pollution is a pressing environmental concern, it is expected that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. As pioneers of integrating ocean-bound plastic into our packaging in 2020, we have been consistently building and improving on our efforts since, and are proud to now extend Prevented Ocean Plastic™ into water bottles. Through this latest product development, we hope to inspire wider efforts across the industry.”

Prevented Ocean Plastic packaging, supplied and developed in conjunction with Bantam Materials, is made from discarded water bottles found in Southeast Asia within 30 miles of a coastline or major waterway that feeds into the ocean. This waste is then sorted and processed before being used in packaging. The entire process is fully traceable with a robust documented chain of accountability.