Aldi announces new ban in every store that will come into force by end of 2021

Biodegradable materials will replace oil-based plastic in all the retailer’s own-brand tea bags by the end of 2021, with the outer plastic packaging also being removed.

Aldi says the move will prevent around 1.4 billion pieces of single use plastic – weighing around 80 tonnes – from going to landfill each year.

Richard Gorman, plastics and packaging director at Aldi UK, said: “By the end of this year, all of our own-brand tea bags will be biodegradable and contain no plastic whatsoever.

“The changes we’ve made to our tea range will help us reduce our environmental impact and offer our customers even more environmentally-sustainable options when they shop at Aldi.”

Aldi last year pledged to halve the amount of plastic packaging it uses by 2025, stopping 74,000 tonnes from ending up in landfill.