Environmental organisations demand openness on Ahold Delhaize's plastic use

ClientEarth and the Plastic Soup Foundation have filed a complaint with the Dutch stock market watchdog AFM against Ahold Delhaize. According to the environmental organisations, the supermarket group remains far too vague regarding its use of plastic.

Risk for investors

The environmental organisations refer to European laws that require companies to report on the impact of their activities on the environment. Ahold Delhaize is said to report inadequately in this respect and provides less information on the use of plastic packaging than other chains.

This lack of information would pose a threat not only for the company itself but also for its investors. According to the organisations, reducing the use of plastic is essential to meet climate targets, and companies will increasingly be held accountable for this in the future.

Private label products

The Plastic Soup Foundation researched the packaging of more than 4,000 private label products sold by Albert Heijn. More than 80 per cent of them were wrapped in plastic. Based on this research, the organisation concluded that Albert Heijn, “as a market leader and self-proclaimed most sustainable supermarket in the Netherlands, should try much harder.”

Ahold Delhaize is going to investigate the complaint, writes Business Insider. The supermarket group says it reports annually on the progress it is making with regards to reducing plastic. The retailer’s efforts are said to focus on those areas where it can have a direct impact. These include improving the packaging of private label products, phasing out single-use plastic and recycling plastic waste from its sites.