Aldi Ireland will eliminate 650 tonnes of plastic and packaging by removing plastic packaging materials for over 20 products.

The supermarket retail is trialling 'flex' packaging across a selection of mince products, involving a flexible vacuum-pack solution.

The new packaging will be on shelves from 16 April, and if successful, it will be rolled out to all Aldi minced meat products.

The moved would eliminate 92 tonnes of plastic each year, a reduction of 60%, and also extend the shelf life of products, improving product quality and freshness.

The smaller and more lightweight packaging also optimises storage efficiency.

"As Aldi continue their innovation and investment into sustainable packaging solutions, their efforts to reduce plastic waste strengthen year after year, and we welcome their commitment to continued progress," said Brian Frazer of meat producer ABP, one of Aldi's long-standing suppliers.

"This new packaging solution not only preserves product quality but also marks a significant step toward offering more sustainable options to Irish customers."

Jason Carolan, plastics and packaging manager at Aldi Ireland, said: “Reducing plastic and packaging remains a key focus and is a top strategic priority for Aldi.

"We are proud of the significant progress we made in 2024 and remain committed to continuing to work towards our ambitious sustainability goals throughout 2025.”

Aldi is also updating bottles for alcohol products, such as wine and gi,n with more recyclable materials and introducing environmentally friendly packaging for other meat products, such as whole chicken.

Additionally, Aldi is reducing plastic usage in flower packaging, snack raisin packs, and many other products to achieve its reduction targets.

The company has a commitment to ensuring all its own-label packaging will be reusable, recyclable or home compostable by the end of 2025.

Aldi also has targets to reduce plastic packaging in own-brand products by 15%, reducing virgin plastic packaging in own-brand products by 40%, and ensuring 30% of plastic packaging is made from recycled content.

The retailer reached a milestone of 200m DRS returns in Ireland in February, and shoppers have returned over €30m worth of cans and bottles to machines at Aldi's stores since February 2024.

Earlier this year, Aldi announced the introduction of a new bespoke DRS Savings Card, which will allow customers to use their DRS vouchers to load funds onto an Aldi Savings Card.

"There is still much to be done in the sustainability space, and we have a dedicated team committed to driving meaningful change that benefits both our customers and the environment through responsible packaging solutions," said Carolan.

“We’re committed to making sustainability affordable for everyone. Sustainability is not only the right thing to do, it’s something our customers increasingly value.

"We also encourage our customers to continue practising recycling at home, playing an active role in creating a positive environmental impact and supporting the circular economy.”

(Pic: Getty Images)