ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD are actively involved in the circular economy. According to one press release, the groups have agreed on a strategic partnership with Interseroh+ Ltd from Cologne, starting in January 2022. This means that ALDI is participating more intensively than ever before in the recycling cycle and the business of the dual systems in Germany, respectively.
"This is a strategically important step for us," says Kashif Ansari, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at ALDI Nord. "In Interseroh+, we have found a strong partner in the licensing business and material flow management. Access to secondary raw materials will open up new business areas for us and brings us independence." To this end, he said, the company is intensifying the control function between the trade, recyclers and manufacturers of packaging/products that is desired by politicians and the recycling industry.
For example, from January 2022, the packaging of ALDI Nord and ALDI SÜD's own brands will flow into the Interseroh+ dual system. However, this is only to be the first step. "Through this strategic partnership, we want to fulfill our product responsibility and ensure a true circular economy in the future. Interseroh+ can draw on a great deal of experience in the licensing business and offers a new concept for securing secondary raw material requirements and closing loops. This combination of experience and innovation convinced us," says Alexander Markov, Managing Director Logistics & Services at ALDI SÜD.
For ALDI, this is the first step in the partnership: further topics such as packaging design and packaging innovations are planned together with Interseroh+. ALDI is also open to further cooperation in this area, especially since this is an important part of the discounter's sustainability strategy and packaging mission.
ALDI packaging mission
In summer 2018, ALDI North and ALDI South launched their joint packaging mission. All private label packaging is to be recyclable by the end of 2022. The two companies also want to reduce the packaging weight of their private labels by 30 percent by the end of 2025. Where the discounters cannot do without packaging, they are optimizing the packaging material - taking into account product quality and food losses. The companies therefore recently added further ambitious targets to their packaging mission: by the end of 2025, all plastic packaging for their own brands is to be made from an average of at least 30 percent recycled materials.