Aldi is making a huge change to its own-label wines in a UK supermarket first.
The budget retailer is removing the protective sleeves over corks of its own brand wine to help reduce plastic waste. The packaging change will be rolled out by the end of 2025, following a successful trial in stores since March 2024. Aldi says the update will eliminate an estimated 38 tonnes of unnecessary packaging each year, including aluminium and plastic.
The change applies to 46 wine lines, including shopper favourites such as Côtes du Rhone, Rioja Reserva and Atlantique Rosé. Aldi has over 1,000 stores across the UK and has long-term plans to increase this number to 1,500.
Luke Emery, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, said: “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.”
It comes after Aldi announced shoppers will soon be able to buy National Lottery tickets from self-checkouts across all its UK stores. You can currently only buy lottery tickets at manned checkouts in Aldi stores. The budget retailer has sold lottery tickets since 2021. But in a new update, it was confirmed shoppers will now be able to use self-checkouts for lottery transactions for the first time.
Lucky Dip tickets for Lotto, EuroMillions, Thunderball and Set For Life games will all be available from the self-checkout touchscreens, while those with a National Lottery Fast Pay card will be able to scan this to generate their bespoke 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.
Meanwhile, Aldi has scrapped 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.
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