ALDI hits 100% renewable energy target ahead of schedule

ALDI Australia is now powering its operations with 100% renewable electricity — six months ahead of schedule. By achieving this milestone, ALDI has become the first supermarket in Australia to have all offices, stores and warehouses powered solely by renewable electricity sources.

To achieve the sustainability milestone, ALDI used a three-pronged approach: onsite power generation via an extensive network of solar panels across stores and distribution centres; offsite generation through power purchase agreements with two wind farms; and the acquisition of market renewable energy certificates.

The strategy will reduce the company’s CO₂ emissions by 85%, annually preventing more than 274,000 tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere — the equivalent of powering 59,677 Australian homes or taking 80,588 cars off the road for one year.

“As the 67th biggest user of electricity in Australia, we recognise the significant role we have to reduce our impact on the environment and contribute to a more sustainable future,” ALDI Australia CEO Tom Daunt said. “We have always been a business that prioritises doing the right thing over talking about it. We hope that other businesses across the country are encouraged by what we have been able to achieve and accelerate their own plans around renewable energy.

“Our customers care about ensuring they purchase with purpose, and every time someone walks through our doors they can feel confident their weekly shop isn’t costing the Earth. We’re already known for our high-quality products at incredibly low prices and, as a responsible Australian business, we’re thrilled to be maintaining this great value without compromising the environment.”

ALDI is already generating energy from its wind farm investments, with 10-year power purchase agreements with Tilt Renewables’ Dundonnell Wind Farm, based in western Victoria, and RATCH-Australia’s newest wind farm — Collector Wind Farm, located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales.

Tilt Renewables CEO Deion Campbell said the partnership with ALDI will be a long-term journey supplying clean renewable energy to the company’s stores from the Dundonnell Wind Farm.

“Projects like Dundonnell support local jobs as well as Australia’s transition to a lower-emissions future, and we are pleased that ALDI are leading the way in procuring renewable energy and supporting this future,” Campbell said.

RATCH-Australia Managing Director Polagorn Kheosiplard added, “It has been so encouraging for the RATCH-Australia development team to see a well-known household name like ALDI embrace clean energy. Servicing ALDI’s energy needs currently makes for almost 20% of our Collector Wind Farm’s generation. I hope that many more Australian companies follow ALDI’s lead and tap into this abundant resource.”

To generate clean energy onsite, the supermarket continues to install solar panels across its network of freestanding stores. Since commencing its solar installation program in 2015, ALDI will have installed more than 104,000 panels across 274 stores and six distribution centres by the end of the year. ALDI industry partner Epho, which was recently acquired by AGL, has made up the lion’s share of its extensive solar rollout, having contributed 24.5 MW of power to the supermarket’s total electricity requirements.

“Supporting ALDI with their renewables ambition makes the Epho team immensely proud. Last year, at the peak of the program, we delivered 100 solar systems on ALDI stores in 100 business days. This kind of speed is only possible because ALDI and Epho have built a strong partnership over the years,” Epho Managing Director Dr Oliver Hartley said.

ALDI has also taken steps to reduce its total electricity usage by implementing energy efficiency measures like LED lights, reducing total lighting energy consumption by over 50%, as well as trialling natural refrigerant technology.

By 2025, ALDI aims to send zero waste to landfill, which includes a goal to achieve zero food waste sent to landfill by 2023. The program will see ALDI expand segregated waste collection at stores and identify closed-loop recycling opportunities. It also aims to reduce at least a quarter of all plastics and packaging from its own brand products, as well as remove certain single-use and problematic plastics from its range.

Image caption: Collector Wind Farm.