Aldi pioneers recycled packaging: reducing plastic waste in snack products

Aldi has taken significant steps towards reducing its environmental footprint by integrating a minimum of 35% recycled content into its Specially Selected Hand Cooked crisp range, with plans to extend this initiative to its own-label popcorn and lentil chip products later in the year. This move aims to eliminate 78 tonnes of virgin plastic annually from its packaging, aligning with Aldi’s commitment to sustainability and reducing plastic waste. The new recycled-content crisp packets have already been launched nationwide in the UK, marking a tangible step towards Aldi’s goal of achieving 50% recycled content across all plastic packaging by 2025.

Luke Emery, Aldi’s Plastics and Packaging Director, highlighted the retailer’s ongoing efforts to respond to customer concerns about environmental impact: “Increasing the recycled content in our crisp packaging is just one way we are helping our customers to reduce their environmental impact, with all these little changes adding up to make an even bigger difference.”

Beyond its crisp packets, Aldi is actively exploring other avenues to minimise plastic use. For instance, the company is currently testing paper bands as an alternative to plastic bags for packaging its banana products. If successful, this transition could potentially eliminate 234 tonnes of plastic packaging annually. Additionally, Aldi recently achieved a milestone in sustainability by transitioning its own-brand soft drinks and bottled water ranges in England and Wales to 100% recycled PET, excluding caps and labels.

In a broader industry context, Aldi’s initiatives reflect a growing trend towards sustainable packaging solutions. PepsiCo Europe, for example, is investing in scaling GreenDot’s recycling technologies to incorporate recycled plastic into its snack packaging, with ambitions to phase out all virgin fossil-based plastic from its crisp and chip bags by 2030. Similarly, KP Snacks has introduced 25% recycled soft plastics into its Tyrrells crisp range, aiming to reduce its reliance on virgin plastics and contribute to environmental stewardship within the snack industry.