German retailer Aldi has launched new colleague shops across the country to give staff members the chance to buy products which can’t be sold in stores.
The discounter made the move to reduce the amount of food waste as part of its commitment towards sustainability.
Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, said: “The colleague shop is another example of how we’re working to cut food waste across our operations.
“It’s a practical initiative that benefits both colleagues and the environment, and we’re pleased to extend it nationwide following a successful pilot.”
The initiative was made to ensure food products that are still safe for consumption will be available for purchase instead of contributing towards food waste.
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This scheme will prevent an estimated 240 tonnes of food waste per year and is launching after a successful trial at the Darlington Regional Distribution Centre.
The colleague shops are now opening across all of the discount retailer’s 11 regional distribution centres in the UK. This builds on Aldi’s commitment to cutting down food waste, recently introducing in-store reduction zones nationwide.
The discount retailer is now working towards a revised goal of aiming to decrease food waste by 90% by 2030 against a 2017 baseline.
