By 2025, Kroger will stop using plastic bags at its stores, the company announced today.
Kroger (NYSE:KR)—which owns nearly 2,800 supermarkets comprising of Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, QFC, and Ralphs—will gradually eliminate plastic bag usage by transitioning to reusable carrier bags instead.
The first store to remove plastic bags will be QFC; by 2019, all plastic bags will be gone.
Kroger Will Stop Using Plastic Bags; Saving the Planet
The aim of this initiative is to “better protect our planet,” according to Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen. The move aligns with similar gestures made by companies such as IKEA, who vowed to eliminate single-use plastics by 2020 and Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) who said it would remove plastic straws from its chain by 2020.
McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) has yet to join the straw fight as it said “NO” to banning plastic straws across its chain, but it did agree to cut down on polystyrene and plastic use.
In the meantime, actions such as Kroger’s will hopefully encourage other major supermarket names to follow suit.
But That’s Not All
In an effort to make a difference, Kroger is also redesigning its milk jugs to use 10% less plastic.
In 2017, half of its dairy plants switched to this new container, but the company has promised that all its plants will shift to the new containers soon.
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By eliminating plastic bags and redesigning milk jugs, the company is implementing a broader effort to cut landfill waste by 90% in 2020.
Ultimately, the goal is to eliminate 123 million pounds of garbage that is sent annually to landfills; an amount which equals four-times that which Kroger currently recycles.
McMullen said further on the issue:
“The plastic shopping bag’s days are numbered […] Our customers have told us it makes no sense to have so much plastic only to be used once before being discarded. And they’re exactly right.”
Featured Image: Deposit Photos/trgowanlock
