On November 26, 2024, Germany’s second largest D.I.Y. retailer OBI (sales 2023 of €8.2 billion via 645 stores in Europe, including 349 German units) announced that it had joined forces with Too Good To Go in the fight against waste. The service, tested in the edible plant aisle of 2 Leipzig stores, has been rolled out in 14 German units mid-October, and is now being extended to ornamental plants. In just a month, 2,000 plants have been saved in the 14 stores. OBI, with 46 million plants sold each year, intends to extend this service to 340 other units in Germany and then internationally.
To remember: “By disposing of unsaleable plants, we can significantly reduce our waste rate and the associated disposal costs”, said Heide Schulte-Beckhausen, CSR Manager, in a press release. In 2023, Obi’s plants department generated 2,666 tons of biological waste, or 3.8% of the total. The firm is committed to reducing a share of residual waste by 10% between 2023 and 2024.
Journaliste économique pour mind Retail depuis 2024, j’analyse la transformation digitale du commerce.