The new commitment will see the UK retailer eliminate 74,000 tonnes of plastic packaging, the equivalent to 2.2bn single items of plastic.
Aldi says whatever plastic is used will be recyclable and/or made of recycled material wherever possible. The new target is part of Aldi’s overall strategy to ensure that all own-label products are recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022 and branded products sold at Aldi by 2025.
“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,” Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer – Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “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 has been working closely with its suppliers in recent months to develop innovative ways to reduce avoidable plastics.
“We can only achieve our long-term plastic reduction targets with support from suppliers,” Hurley says. “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.”
Since introducing its plastic-reduction strategy in March 2018, Aldi has removed more than 6,000 tonnes of plastic and replaced over 3,200 tonnes of unrecyclable material with recyclable alternatives.
