Aldi has joined Waitrose, Ocado, and CHEP as a member of Unpackaged’s ‘Refill Coalition’, which seeks to co-design solutions that reduce single-use plastic packaging.
According to the Coalition, 56.5 billion units of single-use plastic packaging are sold in the UK every year. It cites research that 71% of UK-based adults would willingly try out a refill station system.
The Refill Coalition is aiming to establish an end-to-end refill solution for key food staples like pasta and grains, as well as household cleaning and personal care products – scaling up beyond the refill stations currently being tested by several retailers on an individual basis.
The Coalition’s solution is currently in production, with an initial store focused on dry store goods expected to go live later this year.
“Aldi is dedicated to reducing single-use plastic, which is why we are pleased to become a member of the Refill Coalition,” said Aldi UK’s plastics and packaging director, Luke Emery.
“We look forward to working together with industry partners to offer customers even more convenient and efficient ways to shop plastic-free, and drive further uptake of unpackaged products.”
Catherine Conway, director at Unpackaged, added: “We are delighted that Aldi is joining the Coalition, strengthening the work we have already started with its unique position as the UK’s leading discounter. We look forward to launching the solution later in the year so that refills can become more accessible to UK shoppers who still want to consume less single-use plastic packaging on the items they purchase.”
