Aldi cuts 650 plastic tons with fully recyclable own-brand cereal packs

03 Dec 2020 --- Supermarket chain Aldi is pledging to make 100 percent of its own-brand cereal packaging completely recyclable by the end of the year. 

Aldi, the UK’s fifth largest supermarket, says the move will save approximately 650 metric tons of plastic per year. This would be equivalent to the amount of packaging used on average by 10,000 UK households annually. 

“Making such a popular product range fully recyclable will have a huge positive impact,” says Chris McKenry, plastics and packaging director at Aldi. 

“This change to our cereal range is just one of a number of initiatives we have in the pipeline that will help us to reach our goal of all packaging, including branded products, being recyclable, compostable or reusable in the next five years.”

McKenry also says Aldi’s ambitions are particularly significant in these areas since the products are cheap and popular, creating the largest possible impact. Targeting these product areas is a responsibility, he says. 

“Our focus is to offer quality at the lowest price on the market, and we believe that means more than simply offering great products – we have to provide customers with environmentally-sustainable options they can afford too.”

Aldi’s environmental ambitions
The announcement comes as part of a series of new targets the supermarket is pledging to fulfill over the coming three years. 

In July, Aldi committed to removing two billion plastic items from its operations by the end of 2025 and has since introduced several plastic-saving initiatives. 

Click to EnlargeAldi aims to remove two billion items of plastic from store shelves by 2025. One such initiative is removing single-use bags for loose fruit and vegetables across its UK stores by the end of 2020, which will save more than 100 tons of plastic annually.

As a replacement, consumers shopping at any of the chain’s 900 stores can instead purchase reusable drawstring bags made from recycled bottles. 

Other initiatives launched in the chain include the launch of Aldi’s eco-freezer bags. The packaging marked a first for UK supermarkets by being made out of recyclable polyethylene (95 percent) and seafood waste (5 percent) – known as shell waste.

Retailing at 99p (US$1.33), the bags are also treated with an antimicrobial agent proven to inhibit the growth of common types of bacteria and mold.

Another achievement, announced by the supermarket last month, was halving the amount of plastic on its Glen Lochy cheese across its 94 Scottish stores. 

This was done by replacing plastic zip-lock packaging with flow wrap packs.

Slashing supermarkets’ plastic footprint
UK supermarkets could halve their plastic waste footprints by zeroing in on the 54 most problematic grocery products, a Greenpeace report revealed recently.

The NGO urges supermarkets to eliminate all non-recyclable packaging, including laminates and films, and embrace reusable systems.

From the 54 categories identified, transitioning to eco-friendly packaging in just 13 categories could reduce plastic by approximately 35 percent. The 13 categories are bottled water, fizzy drinks, milk, still drinks and fruit juices, household cleaning products, detergents and softeners, sports and energy drinks, rice, vegetables and salads, fruit, fruit juice, dilutables (cordials and squash drinks), and bath and shower products.

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton 

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