ALDI Australia’s commitments to reduce plastics and packaging
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that by 2050 our oceans could contain more plastics than fish. And with over 4.4 million tonnes of packaging waste being generated in Australia each year, it’s crucial we step up our role as a major Australian retailer to make big changes.
We’ve led the way on initiatives such as never providing free-of-charge plastic carrier bags, saving an estimated 7.7 billion plastic bags from entering the environment. Since 2001, we have utilised reusable crates across our produce range, saving more than 18 million cardboard cartons annually. More recently, in 2017 we removed microbeads from our beauty range.
To continue this leadership, in 2019 we announced nine commitments to reduce plactics and packaging across our product range. This includes our overall aim to reduce our plastic packaging by 25% by 2025.
25by25: ALDI Australia’s plastics and packaging commitments
Down 25% by 2025
By the end of 2025, we aim to reduce plastic packaging by 25% (2019 baseline).
Fresher packaging
We will actively reduce the amount of plastic packaging in our fresh produce range and transition to more sustainable alternatives where possible, providing no increase in food waste.
Goodbye single-use plastics
We will phase out problematic and unnecessary single-use plastics by the end of 2020. These include plastic straws, plastic disposable tableware and plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
Green is the new black
We will prioritise the reduction or replacement of difficult to recycle black plastic packaging.
100% for the earth
The packaging of our exclusive brands will be reformulated to be 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable by the end of 2025.
Backing paper
By the end of 2020, all paper and pulp-based packaging in our everyday range will be FSC, PEFC or 70% recycled.
Giving new purpose
We will aim to stimulate an Australian circular economy by committing to include 30% recycled materials in our plastic packaging by the end of 2025.
Clear solutions
We will use the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) on ALDI branded products by the end of 2022 and we will further educate customers on the importance of packaging waste reduction (reduce, reuse, recycle).
Loud and proud to the crowd
We will publicly report against all of these goals from 2020.
Reporting on our progress
As part of these commitments, we will be sharing annual updates on our progress, starting with our inaugural Plastics and Packaging Progress Report 2019/20, which can be read here. The report outlines the steps we have taken over the past year to reduce our plastics and packaging, ensuring that we remain transparent on not only our accomplishments, but also our challenges.
These commitments are part of our ongoing plan to reduce our environmental footprint. But we can’t do it without you. Whether it’s bringing your own bags to the shops or looking for the ARL logo on packaging for guidance on recycling correctly, everyone has a part to play. Together we can make a good difference to the earth.
