by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Aldi has signed up to a new cross-sector initiative from WRAP aimed at transforming the UK's plastics system.
In place of carrier bags, the UK's fastest growing supermarket will offer customers bags for life as reusable 9p bags made from back-of-store plastic waste.
A new taskforce of internal and independent experts has been set up to help Aldi drive innovation in packaging, the company confirmed.
Aldi has also given its backing to a national deposit return scheme for plastic bottles. It will assess the feasibility of how such a scheme could be implemented.
The latter should not really surprise anyone as Aldi, being German by origin, thus hailing from a country where such a scheme – or schemes even – has been in operation for many years already. As per usual Britain is lagging way behind other European countries in that matter.
Aldi UK's chief executive Matthew Barnes said that the chain is committed to bringing its customers along the journey in its ambition to lead the industry on plastic waste reduction.
He also called on Aldi's rivals to work together in order to drive industry-wide change. In support of this aim, Aldi has signed up to a new cross-sector initiative from WRAP aimed at tackling plastic waste.
This latest announcement builds upon a long-standing commitment by Aldi to reduce its environmental impact. Aldi has already removed all plastic stems from its cotton buds and banned all microbeads from its products.
On the cotton bud thing I must then be the only one who has not noticed any change as yet, because I have not. I love Aldi, so don't get me wrong, and those are all good steps but so far I have not noticed – at least not in my local store – a change to the cotton buds. Then again, it may still be some old stock that is knocking around. Just saying.
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