Aldi Commits to Reducing Plastic Packaging

Aldi has revealed a series of commitments it has undertaken to make 100 percent of its packaging, including plastic containers, reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. The retailer will also reduce packaging material across its entire product line by at least 15 percent by that time.

Because more than 90 percent of its product offerings are exclusive private label items, Aldi can influence how its products are sourced, produced and brought to market. As well as the two commitments noted above, the company will work with its suppliers to achieve the following goals:

• By 2020, 100 percent of Aldi-exclusive consumable packaging will feature the How2Recycle label
• By 2020, the retailer will introduce an initiative to make private label product packaging easier for customers to reuse
• The retailer will guide ongoing enhancement of product packaging though internal expertise and external evaluations

“Aldi has never offered single-use plastic shopping bags,” said Jason Hart, CEO of Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi U.S. “And while we’re pleased that we’ve helped keep billions of plastic grocery bags out of landfills and oceans, we want to continue to do more. The commitments we’re making to reduce plastic packaging waste are an investment in our collective future that we are proud to make.”

The new goals are part of the company’s ongoing sustainability initiatives, which include having shoppers bring their own reusable bags for packing groceries. According to the company, this policy has helped keep about 15 billion single-use plastic bags from landfills and oceans. In 2018, Aldi recycled more than 250,000 tons of materials, including paper, cardboard plastic and metal. Through this effort, the retailer avoided the greenhouse gas equivalent of 8,094,533 gallons of gasoline. Last July, Aldi teamed with How2Recycle, a standardized labeling system, to encourage its customers to recycle. 

With its global headquarters in Germany, Aldi operates more than 1,800 U.S. stores in 35 states. Aldi U.S. is No. 9 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.