Batavia, Ill.–As Aldi continues its rapid expansion across the United States, soon becoming the third-largest grocery chain in the country, the retailer remains committed to meeting its aggressive sustainability goals, one of which is focused on reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.
Aldi is on a roll, too. For the fourth consecutive year, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GreenChill program has recognized Aldi for having the most GreenChill Certified Stores of any other food retail company. This year, Aldi once again snagged the EPA’s Store Certification Excellence recognition, continuing its grocery industry leadership in environmentally friendly refrigeration. The EPA also awarded 21 Aldi stores with Store Re-Certification Excellence honors for receiving GreenChill store Certifications for five consecutive years. GreenChill Certification is awarded to stores that replace standard commercial refrigerants with environmentally friendlier refrigerants that keep their greenhouse gas emissions as close to zero as possible.
In the first half of the year, 19 Aldi stores received their first GreenChill Certification, with over 100 more stores planning to apply for their first Certifications by the end of 2022. This could bring the total number of Certified Aldi stores across the country to nearly 610. Among these newly Certified stores was the 500th store to switch over to environmentally friendly refrigerants, located in Mobile, Alabama, which received the Platinum Certification, the highest level available. This milestone is significant because CO2 refrigeration systems require high pressure to operate, which is challenging to achieve in warm, humid climates.
“We share our customers’ passion for protecting the environment, so working to reduce our carbon footprint is a major focus for us. Being recognized as a leader in sustainability by the EPA time and time again makes our work stand out and is something truly special,” said Dan Gavin, vice president of national real estate at Aldi. “We’re working to decrease our overall impact on the climate more and more each day, with each step bringing us that much closer to becoming ‘real zero,’ or completely emissions-free. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Aldi and our planet.”
Aldi is committed to keeping things cool, naturally.
The transition to natural refrigerants has lowered the global warming potential of emissions from Aldi, decreasing the impact Aldi has made on the climate. That’s because a store with regular refrigerated spaces typically leaks about one-quarter of its gases each year, meaning it can emit 875 pounds of harmful hydrofluorocarbons, or industrial chemicals, annually, equivalent to the carbon dioxide produced by around 300 cars. To receive GreenChill Certification, stores must achieve a store-wide annual HFC refrigerant leak rate of 15% or less, in addition to meeting other Certification criteria. This represents at least a 33% reduction in HFC emissions compared to the average supermarket.
“Aldi continues to lead the industry in GreenChill Store Certifications, with more currently Certified stores than all other grocery retailers in the nation combined,” said Kersey Manliclic, GreenChill Program Manager, EPA GreenChill program manager. “It’s an impressive achievement and one that contributes to a cleaner environment for everyone. EPA encourages all food retail companies to pursue GreenChill Store Certification.”
Aldi has big sustainability goals, and it’s holding itself accountable.
Being sustainable is a priority for Aldi. But not just that: Aldi wants to make sustainability affordable, too. Being green while saving green? That’s a win-win. Earlier this year, Aldi released its first-ever Corporate Responsibility Progress Report, which outlined progress towards its environmental goals.
