UK supermarket launches carrier bag trial to save plastic

From July 2019, half of all Aldi stores in the UK will offer paper bags and the rest will offer compostable carrier bags. At the end of the trial, the option most popular with customers will be selected to roll out across the UK and offered alongside Aldi’s other reusable bags. 

Aldi expects that a significant amount of plastic will be saved when the successful trial rolls out nationally, saving up to 1300 tonnes per year, which is the equivalent to 33.3 million carrier bags.

“Reducing the amount of plastic we produce is fundamental to our commitment to being a sustainable and environmentally responsible business. This trial will identify the option which best suits our shoppers,” said Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibly at Aldi. “Cutting waste is part of Aldi’s DNA and we are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our environmental impact. This new trial is one of the biggest we have ever launched because we want our customers to be involved and help us make the right decision for them and the environment.”

The supermarket’s new compostable bags are made of a bio-degradable material, called Bioplast, and are designed to be completely domestically compostable within 12 months. They will retail at 6p, with the paper bags retailing at 19p.

The reusable brown paper bags are sourced from sustainably managed forests and are strong enough to carry up to 11kg of groceries.

Later this summer, customers will also be able to choose from even more sustainable options when the supermarket launches two further bags which include a new reusable bag made entirely from Aldi back of store waste and also a reusable cotton alternative.

Aldi has also set out two new plastic and packaging pledges which aim to to remove difficult to recycle packaging including expanded polystyrene, PVC and non-detectable black plastic from its core food range by the end of 2020 and reduce plastic packaging by 25 percent by the end of 2023.