ALDI Plans To Transition To Natural Refrigerants
Grocer intends to use CO₂ and R-290 in all new and remodeled stores in the US
ALDI announced two new industry-leading sustainability milestones, further supporting its ambition to be the most sustainable grocer in the country. First, ALDI unveiled a new goal to transition to natural refrigerants across all U.S. stores before the end of 2035. As ALDI continues to grow, the grocer states that natural refrigerants will keep its products fresh while supporting a healthier planet. This new goal builds on the grocer’s use of environmentally friendly refrigerants in more than 600 stores, helping ALDI save nearly 60% of potential carbon emissions each year.
Second, ALDI met its goal to remove all plastic shopping bags by the end of 2023, becoming the first major U.S. retailer to eliminate plastic shopping bags from its more than 2,300 stores. The decision to remove plastic shopping bags will prevent nearly 4,400 tons, or nearly 9 million pounds of plastic, from going into circulation each year.
“As one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, we take our responsibility to lead the industry in sustainability seriously, so our customers don't have to choose between shopping responsibly and saving money,” said Jason Hart, CEO of ALDI. “Eliminating plastic shopping bags from our stores and transitioning to environmentally friendly refrigerant systems not only help us protect the environment, but they also help reduce costs which we then pass on to our customers. These decisions help our customers feel good about shopping at ALDI and our employees feel proud to work here.”
With its rapid growth across the country, ALDI will deploy a purchasing strategy that incorporates the best refrigerant solution for each region’s distinct climate -- including both CO2 and R-290 (propane) refrigerants, two ultra-low GWP refrigerants. Beginning this year, ALDI will purchase environmentally friendly refrigerants for all new and remodeled stores and replace the current refrigerants in existing stores with refrigerants that have low GWP.
In 2023, ALDI once again received the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) GreenChill Store Certification Excellence recognition for its environmentally friendly refrigeration practices, achieving the most certifications at the platinum level of all participating U.S. grocery retailers. The EPA also awarded 109 ALDI stores in 17 states with GreenChill Store Re-Certification Excellence, recognizing these locations for five consecutive years of platinum-level certifications. Through this program, GreenChill food retailers like ALDI maintain emissions rates that are approximately half the industry average, resulting in a significant benefit to the environment.
“ALDI continually shows its commitment to the environment by minimizing refrigerant emissions at stores, including the 109 stores that have been recertified in 2023 for the fifth year in a row at the platinum level,” said Cindy Newberg, stratospheric protection division director at the EPA. “ALDI is leading the way with over 600 GreenChill certified stores, a GreenChill record.”
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