Aldi is to scrap the use of 12.5 million plastic bags annually with the introduction of three new environmentally friendly bag options across its 139 Irish stores.
From January all loose fruit and veg bags in store will be 100% compostable. Aldi will also be stocking a 100% Compostable Shopping bag and a reusable and recyclable Paper Bag for Life.
The move is Aldi’s latest bid to cut unnecessary plastic as it works towards a target of reducing plastic packaging by 25% by the end of 2023. The initiative will remove 10 million single-use plastic fruit and veg bags, the equivalent of 17.8 tonnes of unnecessary plastic from circulation, and 2.5 million plastic shopping bags over the next year as a result of their new range of shopping bags.
Both of Aldi’s new fully certified 100% compostable bags are made of biodegradable pasted corn starch, making them both suitable for commercial compost. The recyclable Paper Bag for Life is made from FSC certified eco-friendly paper and is printed with sustainable water inks, making it 100% recyclable.
All three bags offer an excellent and durable replacement for plastic, with the Compostable Shopping Bag able to carry up to 12 kilograms, and the Paper Bag for Life supporting a massive 20 kilograms.
Commenting, John Curtin Group Buying Director at Aldi Ireland said:
“We are very proud to be the first retailer in Ireland to offer customers biodegradable and plastic-free alternatives to our entire produce and carrier bag range, including fruit and vegetable bags, standard carrier bags and Bags for Life. With 139 supermarkets in the Republic of Ireland, we are excited to see the environmental impact this new initiative will have in communities across the country.”
Aldi has committed to reducing plastic packaging across its product range. They aim to remove difficult to recycle packaging including expanded polystyrene, PVC and non-detectable black plastic from their core range food products by the end of 2020, while also working to ensure that 100% of its own label packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by the end of 2022. They also aim to reduce packaging by 25% by the end of 2023. Working to deliver these goals, Aldi banned undetectable black plastic packaging from its fruit and vegetables range and fresh beef range earlier this year, removing 8.15 million non-recyclable black plastic trays annually.
