Aldi ditches pulp trays and punnets from fruit and vegetable packaging

06 Aug 2024 --- Aldi is trialing the removal of pulp trays and punnets from several of its fruit and vegetable lines. 

Changes include removing plastic punnets from Nature’s Pick Cherry Tomatoes in select stores. This change is already in place for Nature’s Pick Sliced Mushrooms and will soon be followed for Baby Plum Tomatoes.

Additionally, Aldi is removing pulp trays from its Nature’s Pick Mango and Avocado twin packs.

If rolled out across all stores, these changes could lead to the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket removing over 370 tons of plastic and packaging annually.

“At Aldi, we are constantly reviewing ways to reduce excess plastic and packaging, and these trials on a range of our fruit and vegetables are the next steps in helping us achieve our goals,” says Luke Emery, plastics and packaging director at Aldi.

“Becoming a more sustainable supermarket is important to not only us, but our customers too, and further reducing packaging is just one of many changes to come.”

These are just some of the latest changes in the supermarket’s continuing efforts to reduce its packaging use and develop alternative product packaging.

Last month, Aldi began trialing the removal of plastic packaging on its bananas across selected UK stores in Yorkshire, the South West, the South East and the Midlands.

This would help to eliminate a further estimated 234 tons of plastic packaging a year if rolled out nationally, the chain says.