ALDI Australia operations are now being powered with 100 per cent renewable electricity six months ahead of schedule, making it the first Australian supermarket to rely solely on renewable energy sources. This has resulted in reducing ALDI’s CO2 emissions by 85 per cent.
A three-pronged approach was used to achieve this:
- On-site generation via its extensive network of solar panels across ALDI stores and Distribution Centres
- Off-site generation through Power Purchase Agreements with two wind farms
- Acquisition of market renewable energy certificates.
In becoming 100 per cent renewable, the supermarket will annually prevent over 274,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions 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.”
The supermarket is already generating energy from its wind-farm investments with Tilt Renewables’ Dundonnell Wind Farm in Victoria and RATCH-Australia’s Collector Wind Farm in NSW.
“Tilt Renewables’ partnership with ALDI will be a long-term journey supplying clean renewable energy to their stores from our Dundonnell Wind Farm,” Tilt Renewables CEO Deion Campbell said.
“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.”
“It has been so encouraging for the RATCH-Australia development team to see a well-known household name like ALDI embrace clean energy,” RATCH-Australia managing director Polagorn Kheosiplard said.
“Servicing ALDI’s energy needs currently makes for almost 20 per cent of our Collector Wind Farm’s generation. I hope that many more Australian companies follow ALDI’s lead and tap into this abundant resource.”
By the end of 2021, ALDI will have installed over 104,000 solar panels in 274 freestanding stores and six Distribution Centres, generating clean energy on-site via industry partner Epho (recently acquired by AGL). This partnership with Epho has also enabled 150 employees and contractors to retain their jobs during the pandemic.
“Supporting ALDI with their renewables ambition makes the Epho team immensely proud,” Epho managing director Dr Oliver Hartley said.
“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.
ALDI has also taken steps to reduce its total electricity usage, such as using LED lights to reduce lighting energy consumption by over 50 per cent and trialling natural refrigerant technology.