Whole Foods Market, a leading US grocery chain featuring organic foods, will be banning plastic bags in its store by early next year. The company is beginning the practice in Austin, TX, where it is headquartered, by no longer offering plastic bags to customers. 100 percent recycled content paper bags will be available for shoppers.
Seth Stutzman, Whole Food Market’s regional vice president, stated:“Let’s face it, plastic bags fill landfills, harm our water systems and wildlife, and litter our roadsides and communities. We are discontinuing the use of these bags in support of our Core Value of caring for our Communities and our Environment,’” the company’s policy that covers its environmental mission.
Whole Foods Markets is increasing the refund from 5 cents to 10 cents per bag to shoppers who bring reusable bags to the Ausin, TX stores. Also, Whole Foods is now selling “A Better Bag,” a new, reusable bag made from 80 percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. The bag will be available for 99 cents at checkout areas in all Whole Foods Markets stores nationwide.
The Progressive Bag Alliance, a non-profit association of plastic bag manufacturers protested Whole Foods Market’s decision. The group went public with a statement stating that the Whole Food Market’s ban would have the opposite of the intended effect and would have negative impacts on the environment.
“This is a great opportunity for a popular brand to use its platform to communicate key facts to the public about grocery bags,” stated PBA Chairman Isaac Bazbaz. “We encourage Whole Foods to be rigorous and transparent in its test campaign so that the world can better understand that plastic bags have less environmental impact and that the best approach is to increase recycling of plastic bags.”
www.wholefoodsmarket.com
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