Aldi makes landmark packaging change

Making sustainable adjustments, discount supermarket Aldi has revealed that it is moving to 100 percent recycled plastic (rPet) for its own-brand soft drinks and bottled water range in England and Wales.

This move reportedly makes Aldi the first UK supermarket to shift its entire own-label soft drinks category to 100 percent recycled content – excluding only the cap and label.

The new packaging will be rolled out across all products found in the soft drinks section of its retail stores.

According to the discount retailer, switching to 100 percent recycled content is expected to save “around 10,000 tonnes of virgin plastic” each year, and has been implemented as part of its target to include 50 percent recycled content into its plastic packaging across the business by 2025.

Commenting on the move, Luke Emery, Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi UK, shared: “We know our customers care about how their food and drink is packaged, as well as how it is disposed of and where it goes next. This, coupled with the fact that the reuse of plastic packaging once it has been recycled is a critical industry-wide issue, means we’re doing all we can to reduce our impact.

A world wrapped in food packaging

“Moving to recycled content on our soft drinks range forms part of our efforts to accelerate our progress on this journey. We also hope the new labelling we are introducing will help to remind customers to recycle their packaging after use so we can all do our bit to increase recycling rates in the UK,” continued Emery.

This latest initiative follows Aldi’s recent introduction of the UK’s first supermarket own-brand paper wine bottles. Aldi’s new wine packaging, used for its Cambalala South African Shiraz and South African Sauvignon Blanc, replaces traditional glass bottles with a design made from 94 percent recycled paperboard. The inside of the bottle features a food-grade pouch to safely contain the wine.

“It’s great to see Aldi delivering on their commitments to increase the amount of recycled content in packaging. In line with circular economy aims, this change will see a significant amount of virgin material replaced with recycled plastic,” added Tom McBeth, Policy & Infrastructure Manager from plastics recycling charity RECOUP.