2024-05-13 05:18:08
“Kaufland Bulgaria” became the first chain in Bulgaria to accept them back together with cans of drinks and encourages its customers to return them with eco-vouchers
By 2029, Bulgaria must collect 90% of plastic PET packaging for drinks and put at least 30% recycled material in newly produced bottles. This is required by the European directive on packaging and packaging waste.
To reach such a high percentage of plastic recovery in the remaining 5 years, for sure
not an easy task
And perhaps that is why the largest retailer in our country – “Kaufland Bulgaria” – in May 2023 strongly joined the initiative, becoming the first chain of hypermarkets in our country with stations for the return of PET packaging and cans in 5 of its stores in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna.
To incentivize them to recycle more, customers receive an ecovoucher. At the beginning of 2024, the company expanded the capacity of the machines in two of its hypermarkets in Sofia (“Kriva Reka”) and Varna (“Briz”).
Since the opening of the installations, customers have returned nearly 10 million packages for recycling, which represents over 131 tons of subsequently processed raw material. In this way, single-use beverage packaging gets a second life.
The project is implemented as part of the commitments laid down in REset Plastic – the international plastic strategy of the Schwarz group, of which Kaufland is a part.
The facilities accept plastic bottles up to 3 liters of PET material and metal cans. PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is the plastic commonly used for single-use packaging for water, soft drinks and beer. Bottles must be intact, uncontaminated and free of liquid.
For each returned bottle or can
the customer receives 5 cents
Depending on the returned quantity, the machine prints an eco-voucher for the relevant total amount, which can be redeemed at a market in the same branch.
The eco-voucher can be used for purchases over BGN 10 and is valid for 90 days from the date of issue.
The investment in an installation for separate collection in one branch is over 120,000 euros, specified Ivan Chernev, executive director of “Kaufland Bulgaria”, at the opening.
The bottles and cans collected from the recycling facilities are transported to the logistics centers of the two chains, there they are baled and sent to processing enterprises that turn them into recyclate. Subsequently, he returned to the production of new bottles and household products.
According to a representative sociological survey of the non-governmental organization “For the Earth”
95% of respondents believe that measures are needed
to reduce the use of plastic
And 56% identify cashback as an incentive to hand over plastic bottles. 38% of those asked are willing to return plastic bottles.
According to Chernev, the test period will last at least one year, after which it will be assessed whether changes are necessary and to move on to expanding the model.
But “Kaufland” collects not only empty plastic packaging from liquids, but also textiles.
Over 2000 tons is the amount of material collected since the beginning of 2016 in partnership with “Texlife” – one of the leading enterprises for separate collection of textiles in Bulgaria.
The retailer recently added 3 more hypermarkets, on the territory of which
old clothes can be donated,
accessories and textiles
Shops in Gabrovo, as well as in “Gorublyane” and “Mladost 4” districts in Sofia, join the initiative, thus the number of sites with containers for the separate collection of textiles becomes 27, and the number of containers – 54.
“Books for trash” is another large-scale initiative in Bulgaria to support recycling, which at the same time encourages reading.
“Kaufland Bulgaria” has been the main partner of the campaign since 2019, and every year it provides locations for the initiative and funds for the printing of
the books that participants receive
against surrendered secondary raw materials
In addition, participants also receive discount coupons for sustainable products in the chain’s stores.
“Kaufland Bulgaria” also introduced reusable cassettes for fruits and vegetables. In addition to being 100% recyclable, they are collapsible and take up much less space when storing and transporting back. The measure leads to a reduction in carbon emissions and is another step to protect the environment.
With the help of some of these initiatives, the chain reported a 27% drop in plastic use, with which the company is globally ahead of the ReSet Plastic strategy by 4 years.
Refrigerated showcases serve
and for heating in winter
Noise pollution is completely eliminated
A completely new technology, developed especially for the largest retailer, replaces the conventional cooling and heating systems of hypermarkets and completely removes noise pollution from their operations.
The new air-conditioning-cooling system in the stores uses entirely the waste energy from the refrigeration installations.
The heating of the stores in winter, for example, is obtained almost entirely with the residual heat from the refrigerated display cases, instead of using natural resources – oil, gas or wood. This residual heat is led to underfloor heating located under the entire retail area.
Consumers of this heat are also the ventilation system, the air curtains above the entrances, as well as the radiators in the offices.
During the summer period, the stores are cooled with the same pipe floor installation, only then chilled water is supplied to it, which is generated by heat exchangers to the refrigeration installation.
In this way, “Kaufland” removed the cooling units from the roofs of its affiliates, and one of the goals of the innovation is also aimed at a drastic drop in noise pollution.
Antarctica’s first retailer
in the context of climate protection
Donate tons of food items to the scientists from our base
“Kaufland Bulgaria” is a strategic partner of the Bulgarian polar expeditions in the context of its sustainable development policy and as part of its efforts to contribute to the protection of the environment and climate.
For the first time, the company supported the Bulgarian researchers of Antarctica, donating 10 tons of food to the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and the Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov Naval School at the end of 2022.
In 2023, the largest retailer increased its support, donating more than 30 tons of food and non-food products for the needs of the scientists and crew of NIC 421 en route to Antarctica and their stay on Livingstone Island.
With the support of the retailer, the 32nd Bulgarian Antarctic expedition ended a month ago, during which 15 scientific studies were carried out, most of which were dedicated to controlling the consequences of climate change.
Business Academy with UNSS prepares tomorrow’s Kaufland managers
Training focuses on practical skills
In March 2024, the second edition of an educational initiative unique to Bulgaria – Kaufland Business Academy – UNSS, organized by the retail leader in partnership with the largest economic university in our country, was launched.
It is intended for third- and fourth-year students and masters from UNSS, who have the ambition to go through in-depth specialized training, followed by a paid practical part in various departments at the headquarters of the German company in our country.
All students who attended at least 80% of the mandatory 15 lectures, participated in the business cases and completed their internship successfully,
they will also receive a scholarship
in the amount of BGN 2,500,
as well as a certificate of pre-graduate internship. An additional scholarship of BGN 1,000 awaits 10 of the most talented young people, ranked on the basis of predetermined criteria, described on the career page of “Kaufland Bulgaria”.
The Business Academy’s innovative program focuses on building practical skills in line with current business trends and challenges.
It includes 15 lectures, divided into 6 thematic modules, which cover all key aspects of the business environment in our country. Students receive complex knowledge – from planning and programming in a highly competitive environment, through the realization of orders on the market and building a brand identity, to the maintenance and development of a large team. One of the advantages of the Business Academy is
the possibility of developing real business solutions based on real business cases
The program also provides for an internship in the company lasting two months, which is fully tailored to the employment and needs of the participants. After the exceptional success of the first edition of the Kaufland Business Academy – UNSS, 1/3 of the participants continued their career development in the company.