Aldi, aside from its low prices, has proven to be an environmentally conscious company. It has already pledged to implement 100% recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025. Earlier this month, the company pledged to take its sustainability efforts one large step further. This time, it tackles the plastic problem.

Aldi Tries Plastic Bag Alternatives At Scale

Aldi is looking to replace plastic bags with either paper or compostable bags. Eventually, it hopes to roll out this ambitious plan to all of its 830 stores.

Specifically, the company’s paper bags are made from materials sourced from sustainable forests. On the other hand, its compostable bags are made of bioplast, which is compostable within a year.

To start, Aldi is experimenting with offering paper bags in one half of its stores and compostable bags in the other. The company will roll out the more popular option nationwide.

Altogether, Aldi’s plan to replace its plastic bags with either paper or compostable bags will save upwards of 1,300 tons of plastic annually.

Next Steps for Aldi

Aside from its current initiative to replace plastic bags with paper and compostable alternatives, Aldi also hopes to introduce other sustainable initiatives.

For instance, the company will roll out a reusable bag made entirely of back-of-store waste as well as one made of cotton. Additionally, Aldi aims to reduce plastic packaging by one-quarter by the year 2023.

Fritz Wallaczec, the company’s Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility affirmed Aldi’s dedication to sustainability. He said, “Reducing the amount of plastic we produce is fundamental to our commitment to being a … environmentally responsible business.”

Conclusions

It will be interesting to see if other chains follow suit. So far, Walmart has made a similar commitment to introducing reusable plastic bags at its cash registers. However, Walmart’s bags are offered to customers at the $0.98 price-point, which many consumers would realistically not opt for.

Currently, companies like Target, Safeway, and Costco have yet to come out with alternatives for traditional plastic bags. Hence, they and others continue to contribute to the plastic problem.