Aldi and Pact boost recycled content to 50% in household packaging

Pact Group and Aldi have launched a recycled household plastic packaging initiative in Australia. Each year, over 19 million laundry and household cleaning bottles aim to be produced using up to 50% Australian recycled plastic. 

The initiative is set to use almost 800 metric tons of locally recycled plastic resin annually. Plastic collected through curbside recycling bins, including empty milk, laundry, shampoo, and detergent bottles, will be processed into recycled resin at the Pact-operated Circular Plastics Australia recycling facility in Melbourne. The resin will later be manufactured into laundry and cleaning product bottles for Aldi. 

Pact executive general manager for sales, marketing, and innovation, Siobhan McCrory, says: “This is circularity in action. Plastic packaging waste placed in household recycling bins is being turned back into new packaging and returned to supermarket shelves at scale.” 

“Just as importantly, we’ve shown that recycled plastic packaging and affordability can go hand-in-hand. Through smart design, manufacturing efficiencies, and collaboration across the value chain, we’ve been able to significantly increase recycled content without compromising quality or cost.” 

Affordable circular solutions 

According to Aldi, seven of the company’s own-brand laundry range bottles and containers are made with up to 50% locally produced recycled plastic resin, doubling their current recycled content levels. Moreover, three cleaning product bottles have increased their recycled content to up to 50%. 

Aldi Stores buying director, Matthew Suckling, says: “Our customers expect quality, value, and increasingly sustainable products. By partnering with Pact, we have been able to significantly increase the recycled content in our laundry and cleaning packaging while maintaining the affordability that Aldi is known for.” 

The companies highlight that the rollout is delivered in a “commercially neutral way.” Pact and Aldi joined forces to utilize colored resin to offset the additional costs of recycled content. 

The two companies have also renewed a three-year strategic partnership to focus on packaging design and affordable packaging opportunities for the retailer’s food and household products. 

This year, Aldi and Arla collaborated with the recycling technology platform Polytag on an operational pilot to track milk bottle packaging through the recycling process using UV-tagging technology. This project adopted Sun Chemical’s specially developed ink on wrap-around labels to provide comprehensive recycling data. 

Last year, Ineos Styrolution launched sour cream cups made with 30% recycled polystyrene. The cups are available in Aldi Süd stores across Germany.