Budget supermarket ALDI commits to renewable power      
1 September 2020
Pro Bono Australia
ALDI Australia says it will use renewable electricity to power 100 per cent of its local operations by the end of 2021, in a move welcomed by environmental groups.

The supermarket made the announcement last week following a successful 40 per cent reduction of overall operational emissions intensity since 2012.

This commitment will be achieved through a vast solar installation program made possible by the recent procurement of two 10-year Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs) with large scale wind farms.

These wind farms will provide renewable energy to all of ALDI’s New South Wales and Victorian stores, generating more than 180,000 MWh of electricity and avoiding 160,000t carbon emissions each year.

ALDI Australia CEO Tom Daunt said this decision built on the company’s reputation for offering customers value through high quality products.

“As we continue our journey in Australia, we want to reassure our shoppers that how we conduct business is equally important as the value we offer,” Daunt said.

ALDI is the 64th biggest user of electricity in Australia, with 555 stores and eight distribution centres across the nation. 

By the end of the year, the company plans to have solar installations for over 250 ALDI stores and six distribution centres – preventing 41,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.

Daunt said ALDI Australia has written a letter to its business partners urging them to set their own science-based emissions targets by the end of 2024.

“We will continue to work within our business and closely with our business partners to reduce emissions and preference renewable sources of energy,” he said.

“Our commitment to only use renewable electricity is just one of many milestones we will announce as we drive towards our vision of zero carbon emissions.”

This move by ALDI has been welcomed by Greenpeace.

Lindsay Soutar, REenergise campaign director at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, praised the company for their use of solar panels and wind farms.

“ALDI has abundant roof space across its hundreds of stores and distribution centres. In a sun-soaked country like Australia, it just makes so much sense to use that space to generate clean and affordable power,” Soutar said.   

“ALDI’s deals with two new wind farms in Victoria and New South Wales are contributing to regional economic activity and new, future-proof job creation in clean energy at a time when we need it most.”

Soutar called on Coles and Woolworths to match ALDI’s commitment and power 100 per cent of their operations with renewable electricity by 2025.

“ALDI making this commitment demonstrates it’s both possible and desirable for our biggest supermarkets to run entirely on renewable energy and paves the way for Coles and Woolworths to do the same,” she said.

Will they run petrol back-up generators if needed during power outages? Or just let the food rot in the refrigerators and freezers?