The circular economy has ceased to be a theoretical aspiration and has become one of the main tools with which companies seek to reduce their environmental impact. In the case of Mercadona, this strategy translates into management aimed at prolonging the useful life of materials and products, minimizing the generation of waste and taking advantage of waste that is inevitably produced during its daily and habitual activity.
The reports of the company explain the process of their logistics, commercial and waste management operations, they are based on a simple premise: that resources can remain useful for as long as possible. To do this, it combines prevention, reuse and recycling measures that range from the packaging used in the supply chain to the food waste generated in its facilities.
Consumer waste
One of the areas where this model has the greatest presence is logistics. Mercadona works with different operators specialized in reusable packaging, including Logifruit, PLS Pooling, CHEP, LPR, IPP and Poolbackto prevent a large part of commercial packaging from becoming waste after a single use. These containers circulate between suppliers, warehouses and stores within closed circuits, where they are collected, washed, reviewed and reconditioned before being used again. Likewise, the agreement between both companies integrates various clauses and actions to preserve the efficiency and resilience of this system.
Consumer waste
For Mercadona, the role of customers is fundamental in this process, therefore, the objective is to facilitate the recycling of domestic packaging through classification systems that help identify the appropriate treatment for each material and favor its reincorporation into new production processes.
Beyond packaging, circularity extends to other waste generated during daily activity. Organic food waste that cannot be used for consumption is delivered to authorized managers for transformation into fertilizer or energy, while used oil from stores is collected and processed to produce biodiesel.
Materials from single-use commercial packaging, mainly cardboard, plastic and wood, also follow a specific recovery route. After being classified and stored at the company’s facilities, they are removed by authorized managers who transform them into new raw materials. Added to this is the management of specific waste such as used batteries, which is channeled through European Recycling Platform (ERP) to guarantee its correct treatment.
Take action and prevent
As happens in different aspects of life, prevention plays a relevant role within your environmental strategy, especially in the food field. Reducing waste and maximizing the use of products continues to be one of the company’s priorities.
When the surpluses are still suitable for consumption, they are channeled to social organizations in Spain and Portugal. In 2025, Mercadona donated 20,232 tons of food to 859 social entities. To ensure that these surpluses are allocated appropriately and efficiently, the company carries out prior work to understand the specific needs of each of the entities.
The circular economy is also part of a broader environmental strategy that includes measures related to energy efficiency and sustainable mobility. During 2025, the company reached 410,000 solar panels installed for self-consumption, with a combined power of 200MWand continued to expand its electric charging network to 5,246 points between Spain and Portugal. Mercadona seeks to apply this logic in different phases of its activity, from the management of packaging and logistical materials to the treatment of organic waste or the redistribution of food surpluses. The objective is to reduce dependence on new raw materials and ensure that resources remain in use for longer.
All of these actions respond to the same logic: reduce resource consumption, make better use of available materials and minimize the environmental impact associated with business activity. From the reuse of packaging to the transformation of waste into new resources, the circular economy has established itself as one of the tools on which Mercadona articulates part of its long-term sustainability strategy.