With just one small change to one product in its produce section, Aldi UK could eliminate 234 tonnes of plastic.
So the discount retailer, like so many other supermarket chains across the UK focused squarely on sustainability, will trial the removal of plastic packaging on certain lines of bananas in select stores.
They include Nature’s Pick five-pack, midi bananas and the Organic six-pack, which will instead see new paper bands at stores in the North East, Yorkshire, the South West, the South East and the Midlands.
If successful, the rollout would occur across the chain.
“At Aldi, we know how important reducing plastic is to our customers, colleagues and the future of the planet, Luke Emery, Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi, said. “We are constantly reviewing ways we can do this, and our latest trial on bananas is another great step on that journey.”
Aldi recently said it would unveil thinner bags for its onions, which will save 13 tonnes of plastic each year. It is part of a bigger mission the retailer launched during the early stages of the pandemic to remove more than 2.2 billion pieces of plastic in its stores through 2025 – including all branded products sold by Aldi.
Produce items aren’t the ones getting environmentally friendly makeovers. Aldi has been doing the same in other areas, including drinks, meats, and dairy. For example, Specially Selected West Country and Yorkshire block butter is having its non-recyclable plastic covering replaced with a paper-based alternative wrap which can be recycled. That move could save 10 tonnes of non-recyclable packaging from circulation each year.
