PreZero – History, development, and role in the circular economy
PreZero is a European circular economy company and part of the Schwarz Group. Since the brand was launched in 2019, PreZero has brought together decades of operational experience in waste management and recycling systems.
Built on a long operational track record and strengthened through targeted acquisitions, the company today combines more than 90 years of expertise. Within the Schwarz Group, PreZero provides the operational backbone for returning materials into circular systems that work in practice — and makes those systems accessible to industry, businesses, and municipalities.
Milestones in our development
2023 – Bringing capabilities together and sharpening systems
2023 was defined by consolidation and further development. With the founding of PreZero Polymers International GmbH, all plastics activities across the PreZero Group were brought together. The PreZero Arena in Sinsheim was certified as the first zero-waste stadium in Germany's Bundesliga.
PreZero also launched SPOT, a digital tool for optimizing recyclable packaging. With its first sustainability report, the company made the social, environmental, and economic impact of its business activities transparent for the first time.
2022 – Innovation and partnerships
By commissioning Europe's most advanced sorting facility for lightweight packaging in Eitting, PreZero invested directly in technological capability. At the same time, the Sustainable Packaging business area was established, bringing consulting and system solutions for packaging together under one roof.
PreZero also appeared for the first time as one unified brand at international trade fairs such as IFAT, launched its partnership with RB Leipzig, and, with DIN SPEC 91436, developed the first official certification for sustainable waste management based on the Zero Waste vision.
2021 – Growth into an integrated provider
2021 was the biggest growth year in PreZero's development to date. Through the acquisition of SUEZ activities in several European countries, along with Cespa in Spain and Portugal, PreZero strategically expanded its operational waste management and recycling business across Europe. More than 23,000 employees and numerous additional sites joined the company.
This was also when the first closed material loops took shape within the Schwarz Group: household products made from PreZero recyclates entered the market through Lidl and Kaufland. Packaging solutions made from recycled aluminum received awards.
2020 – Expanding our European presence
PreZero continued to grow across Europe, including through investments in modern sorting facilities in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Around the same time, partnerships were established with WWF, the Allianz Arena in Munich, and innovative recycling projects.
With PreZero Pyral, aluminum from household collection was recycled for the first time. The PreZero brand portfolio was expanded further.
2019 – Launch of the PreZero brand
In January 2019, PreZero was introduced as the umbrella brand for all waste management and recycling activities. The acquisition of Sky Plastic Group expanded the portfolio to include post-consumer plastics recycling.
The strategic partnership with TSG Hoffenheim established the PreZero Arena as a visible symbol of sustainable waste management.
2018 – Building the foundation for the operational business
The acquisitions of Tönsmeier and RMG in the United States laid key foundations for PreZero's operational waste management and recycling business.
That same year, PreZero launched as a digital platform for waste management services.
2009 – Our origins within the Schwarz Group
The founding of GreenCycle GmbH marked the starting point of today's PreZero. Initially focused on material management for Lidl, Kaufland, and Schwarz Produktion, the service portfolio was gradually expanded to external companies as well.
From waste management provider to integrated circular economy company
PreZero's development is closely tied to the shift from linear disposal to circular systems that work in practice. Recycling, Zero Waste approaches, material recovery, and closed material loops were gradually built into operational systems — first within the Schwarz Group, then for external customers as well.
Today, PreZero combines waste management, recycling, consulting, and digital control in one integrated circular system.
PreZero today
Today, PreZero is an integrated circular economy company and a reliable partner for industry, businesses, and municipalities. Building on its history, the company develops and operates systems that capture materials, manage them, and return them to new cycles of use.
That is how PreZero keeps resources in circulation, secures value, and contributes in practical terms to the long-term resilience of business and society.
Looking ahead together
These developments and milestones have made PreZero one of Europe's larger circular economy companies. But the journey is not over. Our vision of "new thinking for a cleaner tomorrow" still sets the direction. As a reliable partner for industry, businesses, and municipalities, we are committed to helping tackle tomorrow's environmental challenges together.
Explore our consulting and operational services for industrial and commercial waste management.
