ALDI announces its commitment to 100% renewable electricity to power its Australian operations by the end of 2021.
This announcement comes after a successful 40% reduction of overall operational emissions intensity from a 2012 baseline.
The commitment will be possible at the completion of a vast solar installation program and the recent procurement of two ten-year Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs) with large scale wind farms.
ALDI uses the rooftops of its vast real estate portfolio to harness more than 15% of its total energy use from the sun. By the end of 2020, over 250 of ALDI Australia’s stores and six Distribution Centres will have solar installations, totalling 102,000 panels of onsite solar energy generation, preventing 41,000 tonnes of carbon emissions entering the atmosphere every year.
“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,” says CEO of ALDI Australia, Tom Daunt.
This will see ALDI have Australia’s largest commercial and industrial solar rollout to date. This is the equivalent of taking 11,700 cars off the road per year or generating enough electricity to power 7000 average-sized Australian homes.
Mr Daunt continues: “We will continue to work within our business and closely with our business partners to reduce emissions and preference renewable sources of energy.”
In a letter to its business partners, ALDI Australia encourages them to set their own science-based emissions targets by the end of 2024.
To read more on ALDI’s commitment to renewables, click here.