This voluntary initiative forms part of Lidl’s local environmental engagement – implemented on the ground, in partnership, and as a complement to long-term measures aimed at protecting natural habitats.

Rivers and their banks are vital habitats for animals and plants. Yet in many places, they are affected by human activity. In Estonia, Lidl employees joined forces with other volunteers to take part in a clean-up initiative organised by the Estonian Fund for Nature. The aim was to remove waste from a section of the Jänijõgi River and contribute to improving the local ecosystem.

Work was carried out in several teams along the river and its banks. A significant amount of waste was removed from the water – including a 25-year-old ketchup bottle. These findings highlighted how long waste remains in nature and the lasting impact it has on sensitive ecosystems.

Over a period of four years, Lidl Czech Republic supported the planting of approximately 200,000 coniferous and deciduous trees per year. Implementation took place in collaboration with LČR (Forests of the Czech Republic), the largest manager of protected areas and the most important partner for nature conservation organizations in the Czech Republic. LČR manages forests in accordance with the international forest certification system PEFS and in an environmentally friendly manner. Customers were able to participate in selecting locations via the Lidl app and win attractive prizes. Lidl employees provided direct on-site support by planting the trees.

Protecting biodiversity and the responsible management of forests are key areas of impact for Lidl. In the Czech Republic, this commitment was demonstrated through the "Lidl Les" ("Lidl Forests") initiative. The goal was to strengthen forests where original woodland had been lost, to reforest them, and thereby promote resilient, diverse forest structures in the long term.

The project is completed, but the planted trees remain. With a total of around one million newly planted trees, Lidl has made a measurable contribution to reforestation, supporting the resilience of Czech forests against climate change.

Wetlands are among the most biodiverse – and at the same time most threatened – ecosystems on Earth. For decades, they were drained for agriculture and forestry. In Finland, Lidl is taking action together with WWF: A new forest wetland of around three hectares is being created in Snappertuna (Raseborg). The goal: to contribute to the protection of the Baltic Sea. This is because it is one of the most sensitive seas worldwide and suffers particularly severely from so-called eutrophication – an over-fertilization of the water. In this process, input nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus cause algae to grow explosively. When these die off, bacteria consume large amounts of oxygen during decomposition. What remains are "dead zones" in which fish and other marine life cannot survive. The new wetland is intended to act like a natural filter and retain nutrients before they reach the Baltic Sea.

The wetland is being created as part of the partnership between Lidl Finland and WWF and financed through a donation from Lidl Finland. Furthermore, customers have been able to donate a portion of their deposit amount directly to WWF at the reverse vending machines to support local nature conservation projects – approximately 85,000 euros had already been collected in the financial year 2025. With these donations, WWF protects endangered species such as the willow tit, the lesser white-fronted goose, the Saimaa ringed seal and migratory fish, as well as their habitats.

Wetlands are ecological multi-talents. They slow down water runoff so that nutrients and sediments can settle or be absorbed by plants – instead of entering rivers and seas unfiltered. During heavy rain, they absorb peak flood levels; in dry periods, they release stored water. They also create habitats for amphibians, water birds, insects, and countless plant species.

The goal is to gradually establish the “BioDiversity Add-on” among European fruit and vegetable producers. In 2025, more than 1,200 producers were already implementing the add-on across over 12,000 hectares of agricultural land in various European countries. Participating farms commit to managing at least three percent of their land in ways that promote biodiversity – with the aim of increasing this share to ten percent by 2030. In this way, biodiversity is progressively embedded more firmly in agricultural practice.

The loss of biodiversity is one of the key ecological challenges of our time. As a provider of fresh fruit and vegetables, Lidl takes responsibility for how agricultural land is managed. That is why Lidl is actively involved in the further development of agricultural standards – with the goal of systematically embedding biodiversity in conventional farming as well. 

Together with partners from the fruit and vegetable supply chain, GLOBALG.A.P. and other partners such as the Lake Constance Foundation, Lidl has co-developed the „BioDiversity Add-on“. It is the first industry-wide standard for biodiversity in conventional fruit and vegetable farming, designed as an add-on to the GLOBALG.A.P. Integrated Farm Assurance Standard (IFA). It has been available to all market participants since 2022.