PENNY is the first discounter in Germany to permanently include a reusable cotton recycling net for fruits and vegetables. An overwhelming majority of customers had opted for this variant as an alternative to the classic plastic bag during a test. From mid-August this year, PENNY will be offering double-pack nets of GOTS-certified cotton in all 2,200 stores at a price of € 0.99. As part of its sustainability strategy, "Avoid, Reduce, Improve.", in the April of this year the discounter ordered a trend-
setting customer survey about the reduction of plastics. The use of reusable nets is recommended by the Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU).
"PENNY wants to further develop the important topic of sustainability together with its customers and to embed it ever deeper into the product range, which makes me all the more pleased that so many customers took part in the test and ensured a clear result. The nets are strong and can be used over and over again, and I am convinced that this will reduce the amount of plastic bags that we provide to our customers," said Stefan Magel, Divisional Board Member for Trade REWE Group and Germany COO PENNY.
Plastic reduction of 5.7 million square meters per year
According to the Packaging Market Research Association, more than three billion plastic knot bags are issued each year. In order to counteract the increasing plastic production, PENNY has already implemented various measures for plastic reduction. Last year, the PENNY knot bags in the fruit and vegetable sector were reduced by 20 percent. This should provide a plastic reduction of about 5.7 million square meters per year, which corresponds to an area of about 800 football fields.
Already at the end of 2016 PENNY made a visible signal against the rising plastic consumption with the abolition of the plastic bag. Another measure was the introduction of packaging trays made of grass fiber and recycled material.
PENNY achieved sales of 7.6 billion euros in 2018 alone in Germany with around 2,180 branches and more than 28,000 employees.
For more information: www.penny.de