Aldi has announced a new commitment to reduce the volume of plastic packaging used on the products it sells by 50% by 2025.
The pledge will see the supermarket remove around 74,000 tonnes of plastic packaging during the next five years, the equivalent to 2.2bn single items of plastic.
To achieve the target, Aldi stated that it will work to remove and reduce unnecessary packaging and switch to alternative materials. Where plastic is required, it will be recyclable and made of recycled material wherever possible.
The new target is part of the chain’s overall strategy to ensure that all the packaging on its own label products is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022, with the same for branded products by 2025.
Since introducing its plastic-reduction strategy in March 2018, Aldi claims to have removed more than 6,000 tonnes of plastic and replaced over 3,200 tonnes of unrecyclable material with recyclable alternatives.
Giles Hurley, Aldi’s UK & Ireland Chief Executive, said: “We are stepping up our efforts to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used across our business because it is the right thing to do for a sustainable future. We know this issue matters to our customers too and are confident they will support our initiatives to reduce plastic in the coming years.”
Aldi revealed that it has been working with its suppliers in recent months to develop innovative ways to reduce avoidable plastics. These include replacing plastic wrapping on toilet rolls with a paper alternative, removing over lids from cream and yogurts and replacing plastic packaging on steak lines with a cardboard alternative.
Hurley added: “We can only achieve our long-term plastic reduction targets with support from suppliers. The response we have received so far has been extremely positive and we look forward to working with them to develop further innovative packaging solutions.”
