Supermarket chain Aldi has stated that from the start of this year all of its 139 stores in Ireland will no longer use single-use disposable bags and instead replace them with compostable biodegradable bags.
Single-use plastic bags have long been a major environmental concern due to their long-lasting nature and the vast number of them used each and every year. Just think how many you currently use (or used to use) when you went each week for your supermarket shop, and multiply that by all citizens who shop and all the shopping trips they carry out throughout the year – yeah, that’s a crazy amount of bags!
Aldi in Ireland stated that it formally used 12.5 million single use bags each year which will now all be replaced. However, these new eco-friendly paper bags are no less useful and can carry up to 20kg each. Let’s face it cheap plastic bags were always ripping and tearing anyway.
According to John Curtin, Group Buying Director at Aldi Ireland:
“We are very proud to be the first retailer in Ireland to offer customers biodegradable and plastic-free alternatives to our entire produce and carrier bag range, including fruit and vegetable bags, standard carrier bags and Bags for Life. With 139 supermarkets in the Republic of Ireland, we are excited to see the environmental impact this new initiative will have in communities across the country.”
Last year, Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibly, explained the logic behind the trial of the bags (that was proved successful and is now implemented):
“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. 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.”
Indeed, the removal of single-use plastic bags is not the only environmental pledge made by the supermarket. The company also lists their New Packaging and Plastic Pledge which aims to remove all difficult to recycle packaging including expanded Polystyrene, PVC and black plastic by the end of 2020 in a move that will see them reduce total plastic packaging by 25% by the end of 2023 and 50% by the end of 2025. Aldi also hopes to soon open a bottle return scheme to assist in the recycling of glass, amongst other measures.
We think Aldi should be commended on their fantastic work and hope they keep to their pledges. If you live somewhere that is still using single-use plastic consider taking your own reusable bags to the store from now on, every little helps!
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