Protecting the Environment
Our Approach
Our business activities have a significant impact on climate and the environment. This is a result not only of the products we sell, but also of our entire operations, from the construction and operational running of buildings to the transport of goods.
Our goal is to minimise the ecological footprint of our corporate activities. We will achieve this by lowering our greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring that the products we offer do not have a detrimental impact on the environment.
Our Actions
Climate Protection
We are committed to the continuous reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions and strive to become a climate-neutral company. Our international climate strategy focuses on the systematic reduction of our energy consumption, employing more environmentally friendly refrigerants, the use of renewable energy, and modern logistics concepts.
Deforestation
The ALDI SOUTH Group aims to ensure that the products we offer do not contribute to the destruction of forests and illegal logging. To increase our impact on the ground we focus on four key areas: soy cultivation, palm oil production, forestry, and cattle farming.
In close cooperation with our suppliers and other stakeholders, we will continue to seek ways to increase the number of products from sustainable sources and increase our contribution to the protection of our forests.
Detox
In 2015, the ALDI SOUTH Group joined 80 other international fashion retailers in committing to the goals of Greenpeace’s Detox campaign. Since then we have reduced the negative impacts of chemical-based production processes used in the textile and footwear industry on workers, local communities and the environment.
Packaging
We have set ourselves ambitious goals aiming at increasing material efficiency and circularity of our ALDI own-brand product packaging. We are working with our business partners to push for more environmental-friendly packaging options across our product range.
Waste management
In 2015, we adopted an international waste strategy based on the principle “reduce, reuse, recycle” to further lead our business activities towards a circular economy. Suitable waste management measures have been determined and implemented at a national level. The ALDI SOUTH Group’s national organisations worked on systems that can comprehensively monitor the various types of waste. Based on this, we will implement further international and national goals and activities that ensure a sustainable approach to waste management.
Our Goals & Performance (2019)
By measuring our progress against our Corporate Responsibility goals on a regular basis, we can continuously validate the effectiveness of our actions and highlight the areas where we are already making strong progress as well as other areas where further action is still required.
Climate Protection
Our Goals:
- We aim to reduce our overall operational GHG emissions by 26% by the end of 2025 (against baseline year 2016).
- We are committed to encouraging our strategic suppliers, which are responsible for 75% of product related emissions, to work towards setting science-based emissions targets by the end of 2024.
reduction of overall operational greenhouse gas emissions per square meter of sales area (compared to 2012)
of electricity coming from renewable energy sources across the ALDI SOUTH Group
Deforestation
Our Goals:
- All palm (kernel) oil and palm (kernel) oil-based derivatives and fractions used in our own-brand products are certified.
- All wood and paper-based product components of our private label food products will be produced from certified raw materials or recycled materials by 2020.
- All wood and paper-based components contained in the product packaging of our ALDI own-brand core range food and non-food products are to be produced from certified raw materials or recycled materials by the end of 2020.
of certified palm (kernel) oil in our own-brand products (since 2018)
of certified/recycled own-brand products
of products with certified/recycled packaging
Detox
Our Goals:
- Since 2015 we are working on phasing out or replacing hazardous chemicals used in the manufacturing processes for both textiles and shoes with safer alternatives.
- We aim to reducing resource consumption in cotton cultivation and improving chemical management by also using certification schemes that focus on cotton processing like the Global Organic Textile Standard. We will ensure to use 100% sustainable cotton for our ALDI own-brand garments and household textiles by 2025.
of sustainble cotton tonnage
Packaging
Our Goals:
- All wood and paper-based components contained in the product packaging of our ALDI own-brand core range food and non-food products are to be produced from certified raw materials or recycled materials by the end of 2020.
- The total weight of our ALDI own-brand product packaging shall be reduced by 15% in relation to sales by the end of 2025. Suppliers have to ensure that a minimum amount of material is used without compromising the product safety.
- All ALDI own-brand product packaging have to be recyclable, compostable or reusable latest by the end of 2025.
of products with certified/recycled packaging
Refrigeration
Our goal: We aim to replace all refrigerants with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of more than 2,200 by an alternative refrigerant with a lower GWP by 2025.
Stores with medium-temperature refrigeration systems using a refrigerant with a GWP < 2,200
Waste management
of transport packaging recycled from cardboard, paper, and cardboard packaging (2017)
of transport packaging recycled from plastic film/shrink wrap (2017)
of stores cooperating with charitable organisations to donate unsold food of sound quality (2017)
Our Projects
Our Memberships
We believe the best way to protect the environment is through joint initiatives and partnerships. For this reason, we engage in multi-stakeholder initiatives.
News
Library
Sustainable Development Goals
UNGC
Environment
Principle 7
Precautionary approach to environmental challenges
Principle 8
Promote environmental responsibility
Principle 9
Development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies