Aldi plans to reduce plastic use in packaging by 25 per cent by 2025

You might have started seeing some changes happening around Aldi – and there are more to come for Australian stores by end of year.

Australians are looking for ways to reduce plastic and packaging as we see a rise in single-use plastics like takeaway cutlery alongside the pandemic.

Aldi has made a commitment to completely phase out single-use plastics in its stores including tableware and cotton buds which will be out the door by the end of the year. The household essentials will be replaced with eco-friendly versions.

There will also be no more plastic bags at your banana stand or plastic sleeves on your spring onions.

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Aldi is changing up its packaging for fruit and vegetables as well as other products.

New paper-stemmed cotton buds will avoid 357 million plastic stems from entering landfill each year, while a sustainable tableware range has avoided 322 tonnes of plastic from being dumped into landfill.

There will be new recycling labels on more than 4200 products from the everyday and Special Buys range that align with nationwide efforts to simplify the kerbside conundrum.

Aldi is changing up packaging to avoid so much plastic packaging going into landfill.

Compostable nets for produce were previously trialled but tossed because they tore and there were also setbacks on removing plastic straws on juices due to COVID-19 – but Aldi is still on a mission to reduce plastic and packaging by 25 per cent by 2025.

Aldi customers have taken to social media calling for change.

One customer said, “I am a BIG strawberry eater and I absolutely hate buying them in plastic containers, but I never have a choice!! Today I went to @aldiaustralia and found strawberries packaged in a compostable box!!

“Yes it did have a plastic sheet on the top but this has REDUCED the plastic component considerably! So good to see changes happening in our supermarkets. @colessupermarkets @woolworths_au it’s time for us to start seeing these changes in your supermarkets!!”

Aldi cotton buds are made with paper stems to reduce plastic waste.

One kilo punnets of Packham pears and red apples also hit Aldi shelves. “It’s the same great product delivered in a new eco friendly way,” a social media post said. “This new eco friendly packaging is a right step for the planet too.”

“Starting with single-use plastic is the best way to make small changes that have big benefits for the environment,” said Aldi Australia’s director of national buying Aaron Nolan, who’s leading the changes on the sustainable tableware range.

“These small changes are no small feat. We’ve been working with our Australian business partner BioPak over the past year to trial and test a variety of materials to find the right solutions and bring a non-plastic tableware replacement into the market later this year.

“We know our customers will be delighted at the new look and feel of the range that supports an environmentally friendly lifestyle.”

Aldi has introduced more sustainable packaging for 1kg pears and apples.

Oliver Bongardt, managing director of national buying for Aldi Australia, said the retailer has been collaborating with business partners who continue to help us facilitate change.

“We acknowledge that there are many challenges involved,” he said, “which is why we developed an Aldi plastic and packaging taskforce, made up of numerous stakeholders and business experts, to support the reduction of plastics in our supply chain and ensure that our internal stakeholders and business partners are best equipped for change.”

The new sustainable packaging is more eco-friendly.

“In Australia we’re at a critical point for change. We need industry to support and grow demand for recycled materials. And we need customers to recycle the materials in the right way,” packaging company APCO CEO Brooke Donnelly said.

“We are working hard with partners like Aldi to ensure we’re creating sustainable packaging that is actually recyclable, and supporting customers to close the loop.”