ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD can look back on a successful year in relation to sustainable packaging. Some measures of what has become a joint packaging mission have already been successfully implemented. Among other things, the discounters will no longer offer disposable crockery, straws or plastic cups in 2019. The two corporate groups will continue their commitment in the future, intent on achieving their ambitious goals.
The EU has agreed on a ban on disposable plastic. It is not just the political institutions that are concerned with the question of how packaging waste can be reduced in the future. ALDI Nord and ALDI SOUTH have already made some plans as part of their packaging mission. They welcome the plans of the EU. "We have set ourselves the ambitious goal of reducing the packaging of our own brands by 30 percent by 2025. Thanks to our measures so far, we are already seeing successes and we are getting nearer to our project goals quickly," said Philipp Skorning, Group Buying Director at ALDI SÜD, responsible for Quality Management & Corporate Responsibility.
Disposable plastic articles replaced
"Disposable plastic articles are to be converted to more environmentally friendly materials or they will be replaced with alternative, reusable solutions," explains Erik Hollmann, Head of Corporate Responsibility at ALDI Nord. From now on, customers will no longer find dishes, straws or disposable cups made of plastic on the ALDI shelves. Already in the first half of 2019, ALDI will replace the plastic shaft of cotton swabs with a sustainable paper shaft. ALDI SOUTH will save 230 tons of plastic.
Unpacking products and dispensing with plastic
Wherever possible, ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD will free fruit and vegetables from their plastic wrappers. With thin banderoles instead of plastic wrappers, discounters will reduce the amount of plastic used for bananas by around 340 tons per year. The use of recyclates in the product packaging of beverages will allow ALDI to save around 2,000 tons of newly produced plastic.
ALDI Nord will also saves around 65 tons of new plastic and over 6 tons of oil a year thanks to the use of an innovative bio-herb recycling pot, for 100% made up of recycled plastics. ALDI Nord has also begun optimising the use of packaging materials in the fresh meat sector. This means additional plastic savings of 56 tonnes.
ALDI takes customers on a packaging mission
On 1 January 2019, the Packaging Act will come into force. Among other things, the Federal Government is pursuing the goal of increasing the recycling rates in Germany. ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD have set themselves the goal of making 100 percent of the packaging of their own brands recyclable by 2022. In addition to new packaging design, the correct separation of packaging waste makes a significant contribution to increasing recycling rates.
But which bin is the right one? Many consumers are asking themselves this question when it comes to waste separation. Therefore, ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD are currently developing a note to add to their packaging, which will help customers to sort the waste products correctly.
