Sadly, Wakefern is yet another large retailer that appears to be doing next to nothing to address its role in the plastic pollution crisis. More for you Paper or plastic? The move to paid bags was initially billed as an environmental initiative that would at once encourage people to purchase reusable bags and allow companies to invest in green causes with the money collected from sold bags. The objective is to reduce plastic bag consumption . Amid petitions and public campaigns to ditch single-use plastics, Target is doing exactly the opposite of listening to its guests. Perhaps if it adopts the EMF Global Commitment it will join other large retailers like Walmart and begin sharing its plastic footprint with the public. While not a scientific calculation, Cran said the number isn't implausible. Wegmans must focus on eliminating single-use plastic packaging units from its stores, not just replacing one throwaway item with another. Over half the consumers surveyed were happy to pay for a bag, with the majority stating that 5p is a fair price for a single-use carrier bag. Shopping for Plastic: The 2021 Supermarket Plastics Ranking. Given its behemoth size, Kroger has tremendous potential to make a difference for our planet if it commits to eliminate single-use plastics and scale up reuse. school, 'Only the beginning': Increase in wildfires heavily linked to climate change, study finds, Crowd surge kills at least 8 at Houston music festival, Explainer: Here is why crowd surges can kill people, N.B. Rather than lightweighting, Greenpeace recommends a complete phase-out of single-use plastic packaging, and that retailers focus on reducing the total number of single-use plastic units (see absolute reduction above). Plastic carrier bags in all shops in Britain will cost 10p from April, which is already the charge in supermarkets, with the change to apply in all small stores and takeaways. The retailer does not appear to be involved in any initiatives at the industry or policy level. Also known as grocery stores or supermarkets. WinCo must immediately develop and launch a comprehensive plan to eliminate single-use plastics and scale up reuse, refill, and package-free alternatives. Instead of getting serious about reducing its truly massive contribution to the plastic pollution and climate crises, the world’s largest retailer has opted to mislead its customers with labels stating that plastic items are recyclable when they are destined to be dumped or burned. Jan 25, 2014 - Denver is the latest city to propose measures to slash plastic bag use. It should publicly share this information and provide annual updates on its progress toward its 2025 goals. Albertsons dropped two spots this year. Tesco remains the biggest seller of bags for life, with 528m sold in 2019, but that was down by 26% from 713m the previous year. Other local & overseas retailers are charging for bags. Kroger is proud of having reduced more than 10 million pounds of plastics (achieved via lightweighting, packaging redesign, and increasing recycled content). However, given that Kroger is a massive retailer, this reduction amounts to a modest change overall (especially when compared with a competitor a small fraction its size, Trader Joe’s, which reduced nearly 6 million pounds of plastic in 2019 alone). I'm asking all major supermarkets to stop using cheap plastic bags altogether. Charge for single-use plastic bags extends to all shops today - and they're getting more expensive. Conserve Resources. Things are looking up for this Midwest retailer, though it desperately needs a comprehensive, time-bound public policy prioritizing absolute reduction targets of single-use plastics and major investments in reuse, refill, and package-free alternatives. Should Supermarkets Charge for Plastic Bags? Reduction: Aside from purportedly avoiding more than 11.4 million single-use checkout bags (based on the number of reusable bags its Food Lion banner has sold since 2013), Ahold Delhaize has nothing else significant to offer on reduction, especially since customers can still choose single-use plastic bags at the checkout. Some supermarkets in Japan have already started charging customers for plastic bags, but the new law will make it mandatory. Supermarkets sold 1.58bn bags for life in 2019, according to figures from Greenpeace and the EIA, the equivalent of 57 per household in the UK – more than one a week. By Debra Fox Wednesday, 2nd September 2020, 7:00 am This ranking evaluates U.S. grocery retailers on their efforts to reduce single-use plastics. The ban will be phased in from January 1. Time for Wegmans to think bigger. Other operators such as Morrisons and Ocado will be charging 5p per bag . SINGAPORE - Consumers should have to pay a fee for each plastic bag if they take three or more of them at supermarkets, a citizen workgroup has suggested. Trader Joe’s eliminated nearly 6 million pounds of plastic in 2019, alone. Fortunately, several U.S. retailers, including top-ranked Giant Eagle, are beginning to restart reduction initiatives that were paused when the pandemic spread to the U.S. In December 2019, the retailer ambitiously committed to eliminate all single-use plastics by 2025. Japan started Wednesday to require convenience stores, supermarkets, drugstores and other retail outlets to charge for plastic shopping bags, in line with a global trend of reducing plastic waste . A plastic bag fee was introduced in 2015, and plastic bag usage fell by 90%. It’s time to demand action. After that, plastic carryout bags . As noted before, it needs to be more specific with how much packaging is being eliminated versus how much is merely being replaced with other throwaway material. Transparency: Southeastern Grocers scored better than most retailers in this category. Is it working to transform its operations or engaging in greenwashing that prevents meaningful progress? Transparency: ALDI is second only to Sprouts in this category. This gave the retailer a boost in the 2019 rankings, though two years later its pilot remains delayed. Most supermarkets are offering a "bagless" delivery service, or are charging a standard flat fee for plastic bags per shop. It’s time to reinvest in bulk and encourage customers to bring their own reusable containers. How does your favorite supermarket rank when it comes to reducing the plastic pollution flooding our oceans, waterways, and communities? Websites, blogs, newspapers . A collaboration among Dow Chemical, Keep America Beautiful, Reynolds Consumer Products, and waste management operators in select U.S. cities. Reduction: Roughly half of Sprouts’ stores have already phased out single-use plastic checkout bags, mostly because its California stores are prohibited by law from offering these bags. Is it working to reduce the number of items packaged in plastic? Given that reusables can be used safely and are more important than ever, hopefully ALDI will relaunch the pilot swiftly in 2021. Despite a public campaign by Environment America and a failing score in an As You Sow ranking, Whole Foods has yet to release a bold and comprehensive time-bound policy to eliminate single-use plastics and transition to reuse, refill, and package-free alternatives. This seems in contrast to its value to be “Involved as responsible citizens in our communities.” Rather than blocking action on plastic, Publix should drop the Florida Retail Federation and publicly support the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act. Target lost points for its participation in the American Chemistry Council-backed initiative “Materials Recovery for the Future.” There’s no way to recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis: Target must ditch plastics and massively invest in reuse, refill, and package-free alternatives. Initiatives: Wakefern is working with How2Recycle to put recyclability information on plastic packaging; however, just because something is called recyclable doesn’t mean it will be. As retailers like Walmart have, it’s time for Hy-Vee to join the pack. While retail operations and the world have changed amid a pandemic, we cannot lose sight of the myriad crises facing our society and planet that continue to worsen every day, including plastic pollution and runaway climate change. Supermarkets use a lot of plastic to package goods that we buy every day. Initiatives: Sprouts has reuse and refill options, such as a bulk section that’s larger than those of many retailers; however, it has paused its BYO container program during the pandemic, so customers can only purchase prepackaged bulk foods. Meijer was the strongest retailer in terms of having sustainable packaging guidelines and a plan to monitor and require compliance from its suppliers. This is the most important work it can and should be doing. Thu Vo Simon Fraser University FALX99 D021: Foundations of Academic Literacy Ismaeil Fazel April 12th, 2020 Plastic bags are one of, if not, the most commonly used things in supermarkets around the world. In December 2020, Greenpeace sued Walmart for using deceptive recyclability labels on its plastic products and packaging. What are we going to do, carry the stuff out in our mouths or something? Costco has enormous purchasing power and needs to ditch single-use packaging immediately. Indicates the ten retailers that declined to participate in the survey process. Anyone forgetful enough to go to the supermarket without their own bags from next Monday onwards faces being slapped with a charge of 5p . While ALDI provided some information to Greenpeace on its overall plastic footprint, the retailer must publicly share this information, along with its progress in reducing single-use plastics. In a time of a recession, surely the policy of banning plastic bags should be left aside. In Northern Ireland, which introduced a compulsory 5p charge on plastic bags last year, there was a 71% drop in consumption. Save-On-Foods, another major grocer, said it's "not charging bags to make a profit" and reinvests in Ocean Wise. Should Supermarkets Charge for Plastic Bags in Order to Encourage the Use of Reusable Bags? That should hopefully change this year. By 4 May 2009, South Australian shops will not be allowed to supply light-weight single-use polyethylene plastic bags. ALDI is prioritizing elimination of PVC and expanded polystyrene packaging, among other initiatives. ALDI’s April 2019 goal of at least a 15% reduction of all store-exclusive product packaging by 2025 led the pack at the time. The amount of plastic bags in the environment has become a huge problem because Americans alone use approximately 100 billion plastic bags a year, but only an estimated 1% get returned for recycling each year.. WinCo dropped two spots and is second to last in this ranking. The retailer needs to invest in and massively scale up reuse, refill, and package-free alternatives. Wegmans remains a disappointment. And given the retailer’s poor transparency, the status of its reduction efforts remains unclear. Policy: Whole Foods doesn’t have a comprehensive public policy or commitments to reduce its plastic footprint. Recycled or recyclable throwaway plastics are still single-use. Unfortunately, switching from one single-use material to another won’t solve the pollution crisis. Plastic bags for life are being issued in staggering numbers. Yet retailers seem hesitant offer customers an incentive for bringing their own bags instead of charging them a penalty for not doing so. It looks like it's time to stock up on recycling bags because the government intends to stop the usage of plastic bags in supermarkets and hypermarkets. Initiatives: Unlike all other retailers, Giant Eagle earned a passing score in this category, albeit barely. That's why those who speak on behalf of consumers who pay for plastic bags and those who study the environment those fees are purportedly designed to protect are calling for greater transparency from retailers. wildlife, 'Trying to do our part': Vancouverites help clean up local beaches, Municipal leaders call for provincial ban on plastic bags, How a rare disorder brought new perspective to a B.C. Note: Greenpeace evaluated Whole Foods Market’s operations. Hy-Vee made a name for itself in seafood sustainability, but surprisingly, given that one truckload worth of plastic enters our oceans every minute, this retailer has failed to rise to the challenge of eliminating single-use plastics. Sprouts needs to bring back reuse and move away from single-use entirely for its bulk foods, along with transitioning its single-use plastic packaging to reuse and refill for many other products. Bosses fear a complicated list of exemptions to the new rule . Simply swapping single-use plastics for another throwaway material doesn’t cut it and will continue to pollute our communities and planet. Initiatives: Southeastern Grocers has historically had limited engagement with its suppliers to shift away from single-use packaging, though this should change as it develops and implements its plans. Readers have called for plastic carriers to be scrapped as the Government announces plans to increase the charge for single-use bags from 5p to 10p. The . Unfortunately, like too many retailers, Giant Eagle paused its checkout bag initiative and does not permit reusable bags, citing the pandemic. Well-intentioned customers who receive or purchase these bags place nonrecyclable plastics into the Hefty EnergyBag. All British supermarkets should introduce charges on plastic bags, according to the grocery industry bible. by Joanne Camas. Marks & Spencer sold six times as many bags for life in 2019 as the year before, up from 13.4m to 82.6m, according to figures from Greenpeace and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). 2) Charging for plastic bags has proven to be effective. "I'm led to believe that a paper bag that we pay five cents for they obtain for under one cent. Real leadership means reducing the throwaway plastics they produce and sell. By Stabroek News. Initiatives: Trader Joe’s is working with its own brand suppliers to avoid certain types of plastics, but this is just scratching the surface on what it could be doing. reuse, refill, and package-free alternatives instead of simply replacing one throwaway material with another. Recycling has failed to curb the increasing flood of plastic pollution. If they want to argue about it, let them tell us what they pay.". Ahold Delhaize moved up from 13th place in 2019; however, it continues to underperform due to a lack of information provided publicly and for refusing to participate in the survey process. Additionally, Whole Foods must demand Amazon eliminate single-use packaging. That would show actual leadership that upholds Publix’s purported values espousing responsibility. Beyond reporting general updates, does the supermarket publicly report its overall plastic footprint and its actions to shift from single-use plastics? health officials asked, is immunity from infection better than from the COVID-19 vaccine? The total amount of plastic, by units and weight, used or sold throughout a company’s operations. Refill strategies can be broken up into four categories: refill at home, refill in store, return from home, and return in store. Transparency: There’s no indication of Meijer’s plastic footprint and very little information besides its recycling initiatives on its website. Upon learning more about the dangerous Hefty EnergyBag Program, Hy-Vee should be commended for discontinuing its participation in this program. Plastic and paper bags used to be a standard part of customer service. All States Must Charge for Plastic Bags Used in Supermarkets & Restaurants Starting 2019. “There is more to do though. Transparency: Trader Joe’s did a decent job reporting on its 2019 progress, but offered a more limited 2020 report. A trade association for food retailers, producers, food marketing, and wholesalers. Whole Foods improved slightly this year, largely due to internal initiatives. (Radio Praha) Plastic bags are one of the most visible symbols of the post-Communist Czech consumer society. It should back the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act and a global plastics treaty, and engage its own brand and national brand suppliers, like Nestlé, to phase out single-use plastics and switch to reuse, refill, and package-free alternatives. Initiatives: Hy-Vee is part of the Beyond the Bag initiative, though hopefully the retailer will commit to eliminating all plastic bags in its stores. Any plastic that is intended for one-time use — such as plastic bags, sachets, bottles, and food, drink, and nonfood packaging, designed to be used once and then disposed of. The new law calls for the 10-cent fee to start on Thursday and continue until June 30, 2021. Plastic pollution is destroying our oceans and communities. Reduction: The retailer has ongoing initiatives to reduce unrecyclable plastics like expanded polystyrene and straws and is looking to address single-use plastic bags. ALDI would do better to ditch these completely. Instead, any supermarkets who refuse to totally ban plastic bags, and charge their customers for using the bags (eg. The environmental impact of that plastic consumption has led cities such as Montreal and Victoria to ban plastic bags. That's why New York City has joined cities across country and around the World in trying to reduce Our use of plastic bags. on 08/16/13 at 09:00 AM. Those contributions include $1 million to the World Wildlife Fund, the company said. There is no consistently used global standard for compostability, and industrial facilities for handling the materials are not widely available and accessible to customers. Recycling won’t solve the plastic pollution crisis. Unfortunately, like too many retailers, Giant Eagle paused its checkout bag initiative and does not permit reusable bags, citing the pandemic. The 5p charge per bag could add up to £67 per household. A resin that has many applications, commonly as an expanded foam, such as that found in take-out food containers. This is putting an additional financial strain on families who do large grocery shopping trips.
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