AUCHAN
French retailer to phase out single-use plastic tableware / Launch of range of disposables
 Auchan is phasing out single-use plastic tableware and will offer alternatives made from bio-based materials (Photo: Auchan) |
Auchan Retail (Croix / France; www.auchan-retail.com) has announced it will phase out single-use tableware made of plastic in France. Auchan stores in France will offer customers "more environmentally friendly" alternatives made from materials based on corn starch, wood, cardboard, cane pulp, paper or stainless steel. To this end, the French retailer has launched a range of single-use tableware that includes plates, cups, cutlery and straws.
The group says using these materials instead will reduce its plastic by 885 t per year – of which, 450 t are plastic cups, 86 t are plastic cutlery and 340 t are plastic plates. Auchan Retail France is a signatory of France's national pact on plastic packaging "Pacte National sur les emballages plastiques" – see Plasteurope.com of 13.03.2019 – and its commitment to replace disposable plastics is in line with the pact.
Since 2015, Auchan Retail France has been partnered with French mineral water brand Cristaline to recycle PET bottles via the "Ecobox" collection machines, with around 65m bottles recycled in a "bottle-to-bottle" process. The French company is also implementing sorting channels for colourless and coloured plastic and says it is committed to stop using PVC in household, commercial and industrial packaging by 2022.
According to Auchan, it is the 11th largest retailer in the world. The group spans 17 countries and employs over 354,000 people. It has 4,084 points of sale that include hypermarkets, superstores, supermarkets and convenience stores as well as e-commerce and drive-ins in some countries. Auchan generated consolidated revenue excluding taxes of around EUR 50.3 bn in 2018 and EBITDA of EUR 1.5 bn.
Auchan Retail France currently finds itself in a "very difficult" financial situation – in 2018 revenues were down 1.3% and EBITDA was down 44.1%. As a result, it is looking for a buyer and announced at the end of April 2019 that it will sell 21 sites in France. In mid-May, the group also announced the sale of almost all the activities of Auchan Retail Italia to Italian retailer Conad.
The group says using these materials instead will reduce its plastic by 885 t per year – of which, 450 t are plastic cups, 86 t are plastic cutlery and 340 t are plastic plates. Auchan Retail France is a signatory of France's national pact on plastic packaging "Pacte National sur les emballages plastiques" – see Plasteurope.com of 13.03.2019 – and its commitment to replace disposable plastics is in line with the pact.
Since 2015, Auchan Retail France has been partnered with French mineral water brand Cristaline to recycle PET bottles via the "Ecobox" collection machines, with around 65m bottles recycled in a "bottle-to-bottle" process. The French company is also implementing sorting channels for colourless and coloured plastic and says it is committed to stop using PVC in household, commercial and industrial packaging by 2022.
According to Auchan, it is the 11th largest retailer in the world. The group spans 17 countries and employs over 354,000 people. It has 4,084 points of sale that include hypermarkets, superstores, supermarkets and convenience stores as well as e-commerce and drive-ins in some countries. Auchan generated consolidated revenue excluding taxes of around EUR 50.3 bn in 2018 and EBITDA of EUR 1.5 bn.
Auchan Retail France currently finds itself in a "very difficult" financial situation – in 2018 revenues were down 1.3% and EBITDA was down 44.1%. As a result, it is looking for a buyer and announced at the end of April 2019 that it will sell 21 sites in France. In mid-May, the group also announced the sale of almost all the activities of Auchan Retail Italia to Italian retailer Conad.
30.05.2019 Plasteurope.com [242607-0]
Published on 30.05.2019
German version of this article...