From the end of September to the beginning of November, 3.8 million beverage caps were collected, recycled and reused in over 300 PENNY shops: The project shows how simple circular economy works. With the net proceeds of the valuable plastic, 1,000 new trees could now be planted in the Waldviertel region under the guidance of the waldsetzen.jetzt initiative, thus reforesting an area of forest that was lost due to climate change. Monika Fiala, Managing Director of Waldquelle Mineralwasser and Ralf Teschmit, Managing Director of PENNY Austria, as well as Mayor Eduard Köck, Chamber Chairman Christoph Kadrnoschka, Forest Association Chairman Lower Austria Franz Fischer, Chairwoman of the Waidhofen Chamber of Commerce Marlene Böhm-Laute, 20 pupils of the HLW Zwettl and employees of Waldquelle and PENNY showed great commitment in planting trees together.
Under the motto "In order to protect nature and fight climate change, every recycled beverage cap counts", the joint project of Waldquelle Mineral Water and PENNY Austria came into being and is now taking root in Waidhofen an der Thaya. Under the guidance and expertise of the initiative waldsetzen.jetzt, which has been campaigning for the reforestation of local forest areas for years, and with the active help of the many hard-working helpers, the forest area of local forester Erich Kasses, which had been lost due to a bark beetle infestation, was reforested within one morning. A climate-smart mixed forest with sycamore maple, black alder, spruce and fir was planted, which is precisely adapted to the site and can thus withstand the increased drought and pests. "How important native forests are for a functioning ecosystem is often underestimated. Every day a mature tree provides the amount of oxygen, which 10 people need to breathe. Trees, including the newly planted ones in Waidhofen an der Thaya, also process carbon dioxide, which is harmful to the environment on a large scale," says Thomas Göttinger, chairman of waldsetzen.jetzt.
With the pioneering project in collection behaviour and the 1,000 new trees in Lower Austria, PENNY and Waldquelle are affirming their responsibility for nature and the environment, which they would like to continue to promote in the future and in the interest of consumers, in order to raise awareness for sustainability on many levels. "Sustainability is not only part of our DNA in theory, but also a reality in our stores. With our long-standing retail partner Waldquelle, we not only share a good cooperation, but also consistent sustainable management," emphasises Ralf Teschmit, Managing Director of PENNY Austria.
Monika Fiala, Managing Director of Waldquelle Mineral Water, points out the vital cycle of trees, nature and water: "We are aware of the great responsibility we bear for the environment. We have the forest in our name, so we also have to do something for the forest, our goal is to raise awareness for the circular economy. Together with PENNY and waldsetzen.jetzt we manage to make another important contribution with 1,000 new trees and a lot of oxygen. I am very pleased that we have motivated so many consumers for a functioning circular economy with the 'Stöpselwald' project and now, as a thank you, we have been able to ensure a little more nature in Austria."
A cap becomes a tree
From the PENNY shops, the 3.8 million bottle caps went directly to the recycling plant. The raw material was processed and prepared for reuse. With the net proceeds of the sold raw material, the initiative waldsetzen.jetzt and winners of the Waldquelle Future Award 2021 planted 1,000 trees in Waidhofen an der Thaya together with Waldquelle Mineral Water and PENNY. The mineral water from Central Burgenland has already planted 5,000 trees in Austria over the years.
Further links
www.waldquelle.at
www.facebook.com/WaldquelleNatur
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About Waldquelle
Waldquelle stands for regionality, nature and family. This is reflected in a responsible quality and environmental policy as well as in social commitment in the region. For example, Waldquelle supports selected cultural institutions and events, is very involved in and for the Landseer Berge Nature Park, promotes a wide range of family activities, is a strong supporter of the Austrians' favourite sport, hiking, and recruits its employees from the local area. Originally, the Waldquelle was owned by the Esterházy family. In 2008, a new owner was found in the Italian-Swiss entrepreneurial Pasquale family. Waldquelle mineral water springs at the foot of the Pauliberg, Austria's youngest extinct volcano, and is bottled right next to the spring in Kobersdorf. On an annual average, Waldquelle employs 80 people.
About PENNY
PENNY is the brand discount store of REWE International AG. The company operates more than 300 shops in Austria with a range of about 2,000 articles and about 2,900 employees. PENNY's strength is Austrian freshness and brand quality. PENNY is the only domestic food discounter to offer the personal service of a branch meat cutter at more than 216 locations. For fruit and vegetables, the motto is "freshness until checkout", bread and pastries come fresh several times a day directly from the store's oven. The offer is rounded off by weekly changing products and special offers in the non-food and food area. PENNY customers have access to the largest domestic customer club, the jö Bonus Club. Customers are convinced by the wide range of services offered by the brand discount store: PENNY was recently named the best discount store in the Retail Reputation Report 2021.
For further inquiries:
massgeschneidert Kommunikationsbüro GmbH
Yannik Lenhart
lenhart@massgeschneidert.at
Team Media Relations REWE International AG
REWE International AG, Industriezentrum NÖ-Süd, Straße 3, Objekt 16, A-2355 Wiener Neudorf
Tel.: +43 2236 600-5265, E-Mail: mediarelations@rewe-group.at
