Aldi jumps on sustainable bananas bandwagon

Supermarket Aldi UK has become the latest retailer to pledge to source its entire UK range of bananas from either Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance-certified farms before the end of 2016.


The discount chain follows in the footsteps of rival retailers Lidl and Asda, who have both made a public commitment to source 100% sustainable bananas in recent months. Fellow supermarkets the Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose already stock only Fairtrade or organic bananas.

Aldi’s joint managing director of corporate buying Tony Baines said: “Aldi is built around listening to its customers and delivering exactly what they want – high quality products at unbeatable low prices – every day.

“Our customers increasingly tell us that they want to be sure that the high quality, fresh produce they buy is sustainably sourced in a way that protects the environment and is fair to suppliers. That is why all of our core range of fresh meat and milk is 100 per cent British and comes from Red Tractor Assured farms, and why we were proud to be the first retailer to back the NFU’s Fruit and Veg Pledge.

“Working closely with our long term suppliers, we are now able to commit to buying the remainder of our range of bananas from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms by the end of this year. We can do this because our unique model, long-term supplier relationships and operational efficiency means we can offer quality products at straightforward prices.”

edie awards finalist

The news follows an announcement from Aldi last year that it had completed a switch to using only 100% sustainable palm oil in food products, while all its canned tuna is caught using sustainable fishing methods.

Aldi is also a finalist in the onsite Energy Efficiency category at the edie Environment & Energy Awards for its ‘Energy Optimisation Project’, which encompasses a unique and comprehensive approach to effective energy management. The German supermarket chain has saved more than £3,000,000 and 3,933 tonnes of CO2 through various trials and initiatives including photovoltaic installations, evolved data services and water audit savings.

George Ogleby

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