Lidl-owner Schwarz gains EU okay to buy Suez's recycling business

Lidl-owner Schwarz secured EU antitrust approval on Wednesday to acquire French waste and water management company Suez's recycling business in four EU countries after agreeing to sell Suez's Dutch packaging sorting business. Suez announced in September the sale of its Recycling & Recovery operations in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Poland as part of its 2030 strategic plan.

Lidl-owner Schwarz secured EU antitrust approval on Wednesday to acquire French waste and water management company Suez's recycling business in four EU countries after agreeing to sell Suez's Dutch packaging sorting business. Suez announced in September the sale of its Recycling & Recovery operations in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Poland as part of its 2030 strategic plan. Its plastic recycling and hazardous waste treatment activities are excluded from the deal.

Schwarz's PreZero environmental division is making the acquisition. The European Commission said Schwarz, which also owns German retail chain Kaufland, will divest Suez's lightweight packaging sorting business in the Netherlands, including Suez's sorting plant in Rotterdam to address competition concerns.

Reuters had reported on April 7 that Schwarz would secure EU clearance for the deal.