Supermarket chain Aldi is introducing a 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) bottle for its own-brand soft drinks and water range in England and Wales.  

This significant move encompasses all products within the soft drinks aisle, except for caps and labels.  

The transition to fully recycled content is projected to reduce the use of virgin plastic by approximately 10,000tpa.  

This initiative is in line with Aldi's broader goal to incorporate 50% recycled content in all its plastic packaging by 2025. 

Aldi plastics and packaging director Luke Emery said: “We know our customers care about how their food and drink is packaged, as well as how it is disposed of and where it goes next. This, coupled with the fact that the reuse of plastic packaging once it has been recycled is a critical industrywide issue, means we’re doing all we can to reduce our impact. 

“Moving to recycled content on our soft drinks range forms part of our efforts to accelerate our progress on this journey. We also hope the new labelling we are introducing will help to remind customers to recycle their packaging after use so we can all do our bit to increase recycling rates in the UK. 

The introduction of 100% recycled plastic bottles follows Aldi's recent launch of own-brand paper wine bottles to replace glass bottles. 

The retailer’s Cambalala South African Shiraz and South African Sauvignon Blanc products now come with packaging made from 94% recycled paperboard. 

Last month, Aldi UK also introduced own-brand flat rPET wine bottles, aligning with Global Recycling Day.