Hold on to your ALDI bags! The supermarket has just announced a bold new scheme
ALDI, the retail giant, has been encouraging users to use their recyclable shopping bags for years in order to cut back on plastic. However, due to an ambitious new plan announced on Tuesday, it is taking it one step further.
ALDI is planning to cut at least 25 per cent of all its plastic packaging from its product range by 2025, which is one of many sustainability targets announced by the company.
It also has a plan to phase out single use plastics, which include cotton buds, plastic plates and straws from its stores by the end of 2020.
Another target the company wants to reach includes cutting down the amount of plastic packaging used in its fresh food range, with plans to use more sustainable options instead.
The retail giant also wants to include 30 per cent of recycled materials in its plastic packaging by the end of 2025.
ALDI has committed to publicly reporting on these goals from 2020 so it is held accountable.
Managing director of buying, Oliver Bongardt, said that it is their “ambition” to reduce the amount of plastic in the stores.
He told ALDI Unpacked: “It is our ambition to reduce the amount of plastics in our stores, while in parallel stimulating Australia’s circular economy, ensuring that our business partners have commercially viable packaging options to reduce their reliance on virgin materials.
“Despite our desire, and that of our customers, to remove plastics immediately, this process will take years not weeks. Today’s announcement is to clearly demonstrate that we are completely invested in the important journey of reducing waste and we stand committed to quantify our progress over the coming years.”
ALDI’s sustainable goals include:
- Aim to reduce plastic packaging by 25 per cent in 2025.
- Actively reduce the amount of plastic packaging in its fresh produce range and transition to more sustainable alternatives.
- Phase out “problematic and unnecessary” single-use plastics by the end of 2020.
- Prioritise the reduction or replacement of difficult to recycle black plastic packaging.
- The packaging of exclusive ALDI brands will be reformulated to be 100 per cent recyclable.
- All paper and pulp-based packaging in ALDI’s every day range will be FSC, PEFC or 70 per cent recycled.
- It aims to include 30 per cent recycled materials in its plastic packaging by the end of 2025.
- Publicly report on goals from 2020.
- Use the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) on ALDI branded products by the end of 2022.