The grocer has completed installation of its first company wind turbine at its warehouse in Dwight, Illinois.
By Gina Acosta|Executive Editor
Source: progressivegrocer.com, January 2021
Aldi has notched another big environmental milestone in its efforts toward becoming a more sustainable retailer.
The grocer has completed installation of its first company wind turbine at its warehouse in Dwight, Illinois. After breaking ground last summer, the wind turbine was recently activated and will power up to 40% of the warehouse’s total energy needs, reducing the amount of grey electricity consumed from the grid and replacing it with green electricity.
The wind turbine will serve as a clean fuel source that naturally limits air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The turbine is an expansion of the Aldi renewable energy portfolio, building on the company’s other recent milestones as recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — all of which reinforce the company’s commitment to becoming a more sustainable retailer.
Last year Aldi received the 2020 Green Power Leadership Award; in 2019, it received a GreenChill Store Certification, as well as a Re-Certification Excellence Award for select stores, from the EPA.
“We are proud to receive these honorable recognitions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said Aaron Sumida, VP, Aldi. “As one of America’s largest retailers, it’s important for Aldi to prioritize our adoption of green power usage across our operations, showing others that it’s an affordable, accessible choice that can help reduce air pollution and other emissions. We look forward to continuing our sustainability journey by taking intentional and strategic steps to make our stores and warehouses more environmentally friendly.”
Aldi ranks No. 16 on EPA’s National Top 100 list of participating companies, No. 3 on the Top 30 Retail list and No. 15 on the Top 30 On-site rewewables list. Each list highlights EPA Green Power Partners using the most renewable electricity annually as of July 2020.
As part of a $5 billion capital investment in new and remodeled stores across the U.S., Aldi is increasing its renewable energy building elements, including preference for energy-saving LED lighting, energy-efficient refrigerated systems and rooftop solar systems on 12 warehouses and 108 stores — and counting.
With more than 2,000 stores across 37 states, Aldi U.S. is No. 26 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food retailers in North America. The retailer is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022.
