Aldi removes single-use plastic lids from own-label products

Supermarket Aldi has announced it is removing all plastic lids on its own-label products, as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce single-use plastics.

From March, the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket will stock products such as ready-to-drink coffee and own-label fresh cream without “unnecessary” plastic lids in over 780 stores across England and Wales.

This initiative will remove around 34 million pieces of single-use plastic from the market.

Also, from the end of February, Aldi will trial the removal of plastic lids from its large Greek-style flavoured yogurt pots. If successful, this will be rolled out across all 500g yogurt pots, eliminating a further 34 million pieces of plastic.

These moves are the supermarket’s latest steps to scrap unnecessary plastic as it works towards reducing plastic packaging by 25% by the end of 2023. 

Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibility at Aldi, said: “We are committed to cutting the amount of plastic that Aldi and our customers use, particularly unnecessary, single-use plastic like secondary lids.

 “Every step like this brings us closer to our target of reducing the amount of plastic we use in packaging by 25%.”

Aldi has said it is “on track” to have all own-label packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022. 

Earlier this month, Aldi launched its new initiative to reduce the volume of plastic bags sold in its stores and to provide reusable and recyclable alternatives including upping the cost for a ‘bag for life’.

Aldi is increasing the price of its flexi-loop ‘bags for life’ up from 9p to 15p to “encourage” their reuse. 

Also, Iceland also revealed it will be reducing plastic packaging by 93% across its range of fresh produce.

The trial launched on 22 January in 33 of its stores across London and the South East region and will see the frozen food retailer remove or “significantly” reduce the plastic content in packaging across 38 fresh fruit and vegetable lines.