ALDI UK using AI to provide visibility to its flexible plastic packaging efforts

The UK arm of German discount grocery chain Aldi is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide what it calls “full visibility” on the recycling journey of flexible plastic packaging from its premises to end product.

Aldi UK offers front-of-store collection points for flexible plastic packaging such as used shopping bags or shrink wrap and then applies the technology to track and verify the flow of material using an AI-powered system called eco₂Veritas™.

The Flexible Plastic Fund (FPF) supports supermarkets in these efforts using the AI system developed by Greenback Recycling Technologies.

The group known as RECycling Of Used Plastics (RECOUP) Ltd. conducts an annual survey of UK recycling trends. Based on data from the 42-page RECOUP Household Plastics Collection Survey in 2022, the UK placed some 341,000 tonnes of plastic films and flexibles on the market in 2021.

The group estimates that roughly 25,000 tonnes of plastic film were collected for recycling in 2021, up slightly over the previous year. This represents a collection rate for plastic film of just 7 percent, or 0.9 kg of plastic film collected per household (out of an average of over 10.5 kg placed on the market).

To further exacerbate the situation, UK local authorities in recent years have seen a reduction in the collection of plastic film at curbside, with it peaking at 21 percent in 2016, compared to just 13 percent in April 2022.

These discouraging numbers led Bristol, England-based Ecosurety Ltd., a B Corp-certified producer responsibility compliance scheme, to partner in May 2021 with major brand owners to create a concept to involve everyone in the flexible plastic supply chain.

Original FPF members included Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, Pepsico and Unilever. The fund now has some 20 manufacturers and retailers contributing to it, major retailers hosting flexible plastic collection points in stores across the UK, and local authorities pioneering curbside collection of flexibles to inform best practices.

Ecosurety, manages the FPF, supported by environmental charity Hubbub.

Greenback’s eco₂Veritas software tracks and certifies the amount of flexible plastic collected, shows how much of it is sorted and into which polymers and finally, how much is reprocessed and into what end products. Once those materials are tracked and certified as recycled by eco₂Veritas, the FPF provides funding to Aldi to support the recycling of these challenging materials. 

In February 2024, Aldi UK received the first certificate generated by eco2Veritas. It confirmed that 62 tonnes of in-scope polyethylene and 25 tonnes of in-scope polypropylene were recycled. Aldi collected that material over several months in 2023. The supermarket chain said at the time that it expected additional volumes to undergo certification in the weeks ahead.

Aldi UK says it currently collects roughly 300 tonnes of post-consumer flexible plastic packaging per year. Jayplas, one of the UK’s largest independent plastics recyclers, takes the material from Aldi’s front-of-store collection points and stockpiles it until it has enough material to sort into  streams of PE and PP. It then pelletizes this material and uses the reclaimed PE to make refuse sacks, and the PP to make crates and trays. 

Jayplas, based in Corby, England, said in a statement: “Since Jayplas first started to take post-consumer flexible plastics it has been committed to providing a responsible, UK-based, recycling solution for this material. Working with this blend of polymers has created challenges along the way, however through industry experience, and internal trials, Jayplas have been able to produce quality recycled pellets from this mixed waste.

“Jayplas will continue to refine the recycling of this waste, however it simply would not be possible without the support of companies such as Aldi, the FPF, Ecosurety and Greenback.”

Aldi continues to take steps to make its own product packaging more sustainable. In May the UK subsidiary said it would soon be rolling out a new recyclable wrap packaging on two of its own-label butter lines in a UK supermarket first. It says the paper-based alternative wrap can be recycled at home. The change is predicted to remove more than 10 tonnes of non-recyclable packaging from circulation each year.

The supermarket also recently replaced the outer plastic wrap for its Everyday Essentials cheese singles with a new paper packaging. This change will eliminate a further 23 tonnes of plastic waste annually, the firm said.

Luke Emery, plastic and packaging director at Aldi UK, said: “We are committed to tackling plastic waste. We know this is an issue that matters to our customers too, which is why we’re working with the Flexible Plastic Fund to further improve the recycling of flexible plastics collected in our stores.”