We’re calling on Whole Foods to take single-use plastic packaging off its shelves

Whole Foods can set a bold example and reduce harmful plastic waste by eliminating single-use plastic packaging from its stores.

Without decisive action, especially from major corporations such as Whole Foods, the amount of plastic waste polluting our communities and environment is set to increase dramatically in the coming years. In fact, we’re on track to put more than 53 million metric tons of plastic into our oceans and waterways each year by 2030.

Currently, Whole Foods is not living up to its reputation as a sustainable, environmentally conscious company — due in large part to its continued use of wasteful, single-use plastic packaging. So we’re mobilizing thousands of citizen advocates to call on Whole Foods to move beyond plastic and help turn the tide on our waste crisis.

A recent report gave Whole Foods an “F” on reducing plastic waste. Why? The company has failed to embrace reusable packaging and recycled content, and it hasn’t been transparent about the packaging materials it uses or taken responsibility for the plastic waste its packaging becomes. That puts Whole Foods behind even Walmart and Kroger when it comes to leadership on reducing plastic pollution.

Such a disappointing grade is certainly surprising for Whole Foods. At one point, the grocer was a prominent leader on cutting out unnecessary plastic, from eliminating plastic bags at checkout in 2008 to removing plastic straws from its stores in 2019.

The good news: Whole Foods can make a huge impact on this issue if it acts right now and sets an example on plastic waste reduction that others in the industry can follow.

There’s no denying our plastic waste crisis is a daunting one. But as bad as plastic pollution has gotten, there remain concrete, achievable solutions we can enact to move our country beyond plastic and toward a zero-waste economy.

PIRG knows what it takes to get decision-makers to take action on plastic pollution, and our national network has won efforts in cities and states across the country to reduce waste, including pro-recycling laws and bans on some of the worst single-use items such as plastic bags and polystyrene foam containers.

Now, we’re turning our focus to include the corporations that produce and use all this plastic in the first place. With your support, we can convince major companies such as Whole Foods to stop contributing to the problem and become a part of the solution.