Aldi has laid out its latest environmental scheme, which will see every single bottle of wine undergo a big change. The budget retailer has said it is the first UK supermarket giant to remove protective sleeves from the corks of its own-label wines, a move aimed at reducing plastic waste.
Following successful trials that commenced in March 2024, the company plans to have this policy fully in place by the end of 2025, which is expected to reduce packaging waste by an impressive 38 tonnes each year, including both plastics and metals. The change will affect 46 different wine varieties, among them customer favourites like Côtes du Rhone, Rioja Reserva, and Atlantique Rosé, underscoring Aldi’s dedication to environmental responsibility.
With over 1,000 stores already open across the country and ambitions to increase this number to 1,500, Aldi is keen to integrate sustainability into its growth strategy. Luke Emery, Aldi UK’s National Sustainability Director, expressed the company’s ethos: “We know that sustainability is a priority for our customers, and we’re always looking for new ways to reduce packaging and offer more sustainable choices. Launching wines with naked corks is a step in the right direction, and we’re proud to be the first supermarket to introduce this change across our entire range of own-brand quality corked wines.”
Following Aldi’s recent announcement that National Lottery tickets can now be purchased at self-service tills across its UK stores, customers will be able to make such transactions for the first time. Since the introduction of lottery sales in 2021, they had been exclusively available at staffed checkouts, reports the Mirror.
Now, this convenience extends to their automated kiosks as well. Lucky Dip tickets for Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball and Set For Life games will all be available from the self-checkout touchscreens.
Those with a National Lottery Fast Pay card can scan this to generate their individual tickets. An age verification check will be carried out by an Aldi colleague before shoppers can complete their transaction.
The rollout is expected to be complete by spring this year. In other news, Aldi has discontinued its trial of in-store dispensers that allowed shoppers to fill containers with food to reduce single-use plastic.
The scheme allowed shoppers to fill up their own containers with loose produce including coffee, cereal and nuts. As well as helping to cut plastic waste, the supermarket said shoppers save 5% compared to buying the equivalent items already packaged.