Aldi to replace plastic sleeves on tinned tuna multipacks

Aldi has announced it will remove all plastic packaging on its multipacks of tinned tuna, which could save more than 11 tonnes of plastic annually if rolled out nationwide.


Aldi to replace plastic sleeves on tinned tuna multipacks

The tinned tuna is one of several product lines Aldi is targeting over the coming months

Aldi claims it is the first supermarket to offer plastic-free tinned tuna multipacks and will replace the plastic sleeves with cardboard across 270 stores in the Midlands, North West and South East.

The trial will last for around four months and if successful, will be rolled out nationally to more than 830 UK stores.

Aldi UK and Ireland’s managing director of corporate responsibility Fritz Walleczek said: “We’re constantly reviewing our product range to remove and replace single-use and hard-to-recycle plastic packaging. We’ve introduced a number of initiatives to reduce unnecessary plastic already this year, and we’re particularly excited to be trialling the cardboard tuna sleeve, given it’s a first for the UK supermarket sector.

“Cutting waste is such an important part of everything we do at Aldi, and these packaging innovations are another example of us doing just this.”

Trials underway

The tinned tuna is one of several product lines Aldi is targeting over the coming months as it looks to phase-out all hard-to-recycle plastic from its food products by the end of 2020.

Aldi is trialling cardboard trays to replace the plastic trays usually used to house its steaks, in a move which will cut its annual plastic output by 240 tonnes. Aldi also plans to launch recyclable coloured ready meal trays across all stores, made from recycled bottles and containers. If introduced across all ready meal products, this would save an estimated 420 tonnes of non-recyclable black plastic a year.

The move forms part of Aldi UK’s overarching commitment to halve its packaging use, by weight, by 2025, and its pledge to ensure that all its own-brand plastics packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022. Aldi revealed it is on track to make all own-label packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022, and to reduce plastic packaging by 25% by the end of 2023.

Since setting these targets, the supermarket chain has switched to plastic-free pizza bases; begun selling plastic-free toilet paper packs and unveiled plans to phase out plastic glitter by 2020. It has additionally altered the packaging format for many of its fruit and vegetable lines, swapping hard-to-recycle black plastic trays for clear alternatives and removing plastics altogether for lines with a longer shelf life.

Matt Mace

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