Aldi in the United Kingdom is marking first after first, moving away from virgin plastic packaging in favor of sustainable options.
Its latest flex is using at least 35% recycled plastic in its Specially Selected crisp, or chip, packages. These products are available across the country, and the company's popcorn and lentil chips will be packaged in the same way by the end of the year, National World reported in mid-June.
The grocer, which is the fourth-largest chain in the U.K., has made many changes to decrease its environmental impact.
Virgin plastic consumes about 8% of the petroleum taken from Earth, per Tide Ocean Material, while recycling plastic saves 30-80% of the carbon pollution used to create it. Recycling also helps keep plastic out of our oceans and prevents it from harming wildlife. Animals can ingest plastic or become entangled with it, which can kill them.
What usually goes unmentioned is that using recycled plastic saves massive amounts of money. If companies move toward circularity, it could result in lowering material costs by $630 billion per year, Tide Ocean reported.
So, this move by Aldi could cut 86 tons of plastic from its manufacturing and supply chain, according to National World, but it's also a great business decision. Aldi's goal is for half of its packaging to be made from recyclables by 2025.
National World noted that the company in recent months has gone to 100% recycled bottles with its dishwashing liquid, soft drinks, and bottled water. It has also traded plastic banana, butter, and gin wrappings for paper ones.
"At Aldi, we are continuously making changes when it comes to reducing plastic waste, and we know how important this is to our customers too," Aldi plastics and packaging director Luke Emery said. "Increasing the recycled content in our crisp packaging is just one way we are helping our customers to reduce their environmental impact, with all these little changes adding up to make an even bigger difference."
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