Aldi Ireland aims to cut plastic packaging by 50% by 2025

Aldi Ireland has announced a commitment to reduce the volume of plastic packaging used in its outlets by 50 per cent by 2025.

The supermarket group has pledged to remove 9,874 tonnes of plastic packaging during the next five years – equivalent to 200 million items of plastic.

To achieve this target, it said it would work to remove and reduce unnecessary packaging and switch to alternative materials. Where plastic is required, it will be recyclable and made of recycled material wherever possible.

The commitment is part of the retailer’s strategy to ensure all own-label products are recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022, while it is envisaged that branded products sold at Aldi will follow suit by 2025 – a timeline that is among the most ambitious of any supermarket group based in Ireland.

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Since introducing its plastic-reduction strategy in March 2018, Aldi said it has removed more than 600 tonnes of plastic, replaced more than 850 tonnes of unrecyclable material with recyclable alternatives and removed 490 tonnes of packaging from its core range.

Aldi UK and Ireland chief executive Giles Hurley said: "We are stepping up our efforts to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used across our business because it is the right thing to do for a sustainable future. We know this issue matters to our customers too and are confident they will support our initiatives to reduce plastic in the coming years."

The supermarket chain has been working with suppliers in recent months to develop ways to reduce avoidable plastics, including most recently replacing plastic wrapping on toilet rolls with a paper alternative.

“We can only achieve our long-term plastic reduction targets with support from suppliers. The response we have received so far has been extremely positive, and we look forward to working with them to develop further innovative packaging solutions,” Mr Hurley added.

The company said it would report annual progress against its plastics and packaging targets via its website.