Aldi has launched a trial selling its first packaging-free products to help customers shop more sustainably. The trial is available at one store in Ulverston, Cumbria, but if successful, Aldi will look to develop its refillable options in other stores in the future. Four household staples – basmati rice, brown rice, penne pasta and wholewheat fusilli – are available to buy loose in store. The move could remove more than 130 tonnes – or more than 21 million pieces – of plastic annually from stores. Aldi will provide customers with free paper bags that are fully recyclable.

Richard Gorman, Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi, said: “We’re always looking for new ways to reduce waste plastic and limit packaging, as many of our shoppers are increasingly conscious of the environment and their impact on it. We hope local customers embrace the trial and we will use their feedback to inform any future plans around refillable products.”

In 2020, Aldi announced its ambitious new commitment to halve the volume of plastic packaging used by 2025. This will see it remove 74,000 tonnes of plastic packaging from products over the next five years. The supermarket, which has been carbon neutral since January 2019, is also on track to have all own-label products as recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022, and branded products sold at Aldi by 2025.