UK – Aldi, the UK supermarket chain has pledged to remove single use US$0.062 plastic bags and use US$0.11 reusable bags made from plastic waste by the end of the year.

In addition, the retail giant said that was planning to use recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging for all of its own-label products by 2022 in a move aimed at reducing the impact of plastic on the environment.

In a new partnership with Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the German retailer will join others in tackling plastic pollution by signing the forthcoming UK Plastics Pact, with plans to support a national deposit return scheme for plastic bottles.

Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP the new initiative will work together with governments, citizens and businesses to transform plastic disposal in order to reduce pollution and reduce food waste.

To deliver on its sustainability strategy, Aldi UK and Ireland announced intentions to reduce operational food waste by 50% by 2030.

“Our customers trust us not only to offer them high-quality products at unbeatable prices, but to help them lead healthier, better lives.

That includes reducing waste, particularly around unnecessary packaging and plastics that damage the environment we live in.

While we cannot do this alone and call on others to collaborate with us and others to drive change industry-wide, we are committed to doing all we can to lead the way and to bring our customers on this journey with us,” said Matthew Barnes, CEO of Aldi UK & Ireland.

Aldi is not the only supermarket ditching single-use plastics, it joins Tesco, Morrisons and Asda.

Last December it removed plastic stems from its cotton buds, and banned all microbeads and microplastics from products in 2015.