// Aldi begins trial selling packaging-free products
// 4 household staples – basmati rice, brown rice, penne pasta & wholewheat fusilli – are available to buy loose
// The trial is available at one store in Ulverston, Cumbria
Aldi has launched a trial selling its first packaging-free products in its latest push to help customers shop more sustainably.
The trial is available at one store in Ulverston, Cumbria, and if successful, Aldi said it would look to develop its refillable options in other stores in the future.
Four household staples – basmati rice, brown rice, penne pasta and wholewheat fusilli – are available to buy loose in store.
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The move could remove more than 130 tonnes – or more than 21 million pieces – of plastic annually from stores.
The products are available by weight, and Aldi said it would provide customers with free paper bags that are fully recyclable and made of FSC-certified material.
“Customers at our Ulverston store can now buy the same high-quality items they know and love, while also cutting down on plastic packaging,” Aldi packaging director Richard Gorman said.
“We’re always looking for new ways to reduce waste plastic and limit packaging, as many of our shoppers are increasingly conscious of the environment and their impact on it.
“We hope local customers embrace the trial and we will use their feedback to inform any future plans around refillable products.”
In 2020, Aldi announced its ambitious new commitment to halve the volume of plastic packaging used by 2025.
This will see it remove 74,000 tonnes of plastic packaging from products over the next five years.
The supermarket, which has been carbon neutral since January 2019, is also on track to have all own-label products as recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022, and branded products sold at Aldi by 2025.
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