About the PreZero Group
Value doesn’t stop at the product. It starts over when materials stay in the loop. That responsibility is at the core of what we do.
We design and scale solutions that help turn material flows into measurable, manageable cycles —capturing them, steering them, and recovering them whenever possible. The result: less waste, more transparency, better decisions backed by data.
Collection, sorting, processing, and recycling — a circular system only works when it’s end-to-end. That’s how material flows become measurable, controllable, and commercially viable.
Our focus is not waste disposal. It is keeping value in circulation. We combine proven individual services into complete frameworks designed to strengthen the circular economy. The payoff is stability in securing supply, in creating value, and in reducing emissions.
The PreZero Vision & Mission
Our Vision
Our vision is to enable resource sovereignty and resilience for society and the economy by implementing a circular economy.
This approach focuses on retaining value, enabling a reliable resource supply, and ensuring that competitiveness and climate protection are mutually reinforcing.
Our Mission
Our mission is to keep more resources in the loop every day and strengthen resilience by integrating processes, infrastructure, and data into robust circular economy solutions.
By supporting the reduction of avoidable, non-recyclable waste and emissions, and recovering energy where recycling is not viable, we deliver measurable value for businesses, municipalities, and ultimately people.
Brand & Business Areas
What sets us apart is bringing different specialized units together into one cohesive end-to-end system. Our brands span the full value chain — from disposal and logistics to sorting, processing, and recycling, all the way to recyclates, digital solutions, and energy recovery. Efficient. Dependable. Everything under one roof.
For municipalities and industry, we serve as a one-stop shop with reach in multiple European countries: an interconnected system built to close material loops.
As part of the Schwarz Group, we combine operational delivery with the scale to drive meaningful change — creating stability for our partners and room for growth.
Five Strategic Fields of Action
Our strategy is built around five clear areas, shaped by the main challenges our customers face:
Zero Waste. Resource sovereignty. Energy recovery. Data & compliance. Decarbonization.
Each area stands for practical solutions, measurable results, and clear accountability.
PreZero and the Schwarz Group
PreZero was originally founded to manage recycling and disposal logistics for Schwarz Group companies like Kaufland and Lidl.
Today, we are a core part of the Schwarz Group with a clear mission: to manage materials across the entire value chain and to continuously optimize their performance.
This unique position opens up tremendous opportunities to help building closed material loops within one of the world’s largest retail groups — from collection and processing to returning materials into industrial processes.
The PreZero Group in numbers
PreZero is one of Europe’s leading circular economy companies. Our size, structure, and scope of operations enable us to deliver circularity services reliably, and at industrial scale. With a strong operational foundation, modern infrastructure, and over 30.000 employees, we manage material flows across Europe from first capture to reintegration into industrial use.
Our key figures reflect the full reach and operational capacity of the PreZero Group.
Approx.
30.000 employees
Total number of all sites:
approx. 470
(includes administrative sites; total 476)
More than
12.000 vehicles
Around 65 sorting and
processing facilities (sites/plants)
10 energy plants
Number of countries: 10
Over 26 million tonnes of recyclables sorted,
processed, and recycled
What sets us apart
Most companies focus on disposal. We focus on keeping the value most manage isolated services. We connect them into complete systems.
Our strength is the link between operations, infrastructure, and data — working together across Europe. That brings clarity to complex material flows and supports turning them into viable, sustainable solutions.
