Aldi U.S., the retail giant has started the year by eliminating all plastic shopping bags from its more than 2,300 stores nationwide. 

The plan announced in 2022 as part of the company's sustainability goals, will prevent nearly 4,400 tons, roughly 9 million pounds, of plastic from going to landfills annually, per the announcement. 

Additionally, the company announced it will transition to natural refrigerants by the end of 2035. Starting this year, the company is planning to buy environmentally friendly refrigerants for all of its new and remodeled stores as well as replace refrigerants in existing stores with ones that have low global warming potential.

The discount grocer’s natural refrigerants transition goal follows the company’s implementation of environmentally friendly refrigerants in more than 600 stores, which has helped save nearly 60% of potential carbon emissions each year.

For the transition, Aldi said it will deploy a purchasing strategy that incorporates “the best refrigerant solution” for each region’s distinct climate including both carbon dioxide and propane refrigerants.

Aldi US has said that its work to transition to natural refrigerants has lowered the company’s potential carbon emissions damage average per store by over 50% since 2015.

Aldi US CEO Jason Hart said in the announcement that the decisions about the plastic bags and natural refrigerants aim to boost customer and employee morale around supporting the company. 

“Eliminating plastic shopping bags from our stores and transitioning to environmentally friendly refrigerant systems not only help us protect the environment, but they also help reduce costs which we then pass on to our customers,” Hart says.

The continued sustainability efforts come at a time when Aldi is quickly growing in the U.S. In August, Aldi announced plans to buy approximately 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores across five Southeastern states. That deal is expected to close early this year, subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions.

“As one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, we take our responsibility to lead the industry in sustainability seriously, so our customers don’t have to choose between shopping responsibly and saving money,” Hart said.