Aldi recently installed 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 percent 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 is an environmental milestone for Aldi, as well as for the town of Dwight, as it serves as a clean fuel source that naturally limits air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. This 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 – all of which reinforce the company’s commitment to becoming a more sustainable retailer.
In October, Aldi received the 2020 Green Power Leadership Award and a 2019 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,” Aaron Sumida, VP of ALDI, said at the time. “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 is currently purchasing more than 980 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet more than 100 percent of the organization’s electricity use. Additionally, 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. For more on corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts at Batavia, Illinois-based Aldi, visit corporate.aldi.us/en/corporate-responsibility.
