Aldi has become the first UK supermarket to stop using plastic shrink-wrapping on its own-label multipack soft drink cans.
The UK’s fifth-largest supermarket has replaced all plastic on its soft drink cans with 100% recyclable, FSC-certified cardboard, saving over 90 tonnes of plastic each year.
The move will mean that nearly 11 million packs of Aldi’s 330ml cola, orangeade, lemonade and tropical drinks will switch to packaging that’s widely recyclable throughout the UK.
By the end of this year, this will have rolled out across all own-brand beer and cider products too, saving over 150 tonnes of plastic annually.
This is one of many packaging changes Aldi has introduced as it works towards an ambitious target of halving the amount of plastic packaging it uses by the end of 2025.
The supermarket already sells its Explosade sports drinks, Red Thunder energy drink multipacks, Fruity Blast and Fruity Water drinks all in cardboard wrap.
Richard Gorman, Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi UK, said: “Removing unnecessary plastic is a top priority, which is why we’ve committed to halve plastic packaging by 2025.
“The move away from shrink wrap on our canned soft drink range is another step in the right direction. We know our customers want to protect the environment, and it’s small changes like this that make all the difference.”
Aldi said it is on track to have all product packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by the end of 2025.
