Aldi has become the first UK supermarket to move to 100% recycled plastic for its own-brand soft drinks and bottled water range in England and Wales.
The move, which excludes only the cap and label, is rolling out across all products found in the soft drink section of the discounters stores.
The switch to 100% recycled content is expected to save around 10,000 tonnes of virgin plastic annually and forms part of the grocer’s target to include 50% recycled content into its plastic packaging across the business by 2025.
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Aldi UK plastics and packaging director Luke Emery said: “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.
“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.”
It follows similar moves by Aldi in recent weeks to remove plastic from its product portfolio.
Earlier this month, the supermarket launched plastic-free packaging on its everyday own-label toothbrushes, replacing the plastic and card packaging with a solely cardboard alternative.
Last month, Aldi also unveiled recyclable paper wine bottles to offer “greener choices” and “drive sustainable change”.
The new packaging, which is thought to be a first for UK supermarkets, rolled out across the discount grocer’s own-brand Cambalala South African Shiraz and South African Sauvignon Blanc.
