German discounters Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have announced plans to abolish single-use plastic bags from their fresh fruit and vegetable departments, replacing said bags with more sustainable alternatives.
From autumn of this year, the two retailers are going to offer reusable 'nets' for fresh produce.
Eco-Friendly Alternatives
Through the use of these nets, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd said that they are enabling customers to choose a environmentally friendly alternative in order to reduce plastic consumption.
The net is washable and is durable enough to cater for the transport of many varieties of fruits and vegetables.
The discounters are not banning disposable packaging completely from their assortment, however. It plans to introduce a disposable bag, priced at one cent, that is made of renewable raw materials and can be disposed of in the recycling bin.
Consumption of plastic shopping bags has declined by two-thirds since Aldi Nord, Aldi Süd and other retailers have introduced a charge for their usage.
"The figures confirm that the pricing of plastic bags has clearly moved consumers to rethink their habits, and we are following a similar principle with the introduction of a one cent charge for our disposable bags in the fruit and vegetable segment," commented Aldi Süd's Kristina Bell.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jana Zimmermann. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
