Forty-Seven State Legislators call on Whole Foods to put Planet over Plastic

John Mackey, CEO

Whole Foods Market

550 Bowie Street

Austin, TX 78703-4644

 

May 6, 2021

Dear John Mackey:

We, the undersigned state leaders, are writing to ask that you join us as a partner in combating the plastic pollution crisis. We understand that Whole Foods has led the supermarket industry in reducing plastic waste in the past, and we thank you for that. 

However, we are deeply concerned by the scourge of plastic litter that enters our waterways. Plastic waste enters the ocean at the rate of 15 million tons per year — the equivalent to two garbage trucks dumping a load of plastic in the sea every single minute. 

And single-use plastic packaging — used for just a few minutes before polluting our rivers and oceans for hundreds of years — is a major source of this pollution. In 2019, The Ocean Conservancy found that plastic food wrappers were the number one item polluting beaches worldwide. 

Thus, we ask that Whole Foods Market join us as a partner in our efforts to address the plastic pollution crisis by committing to concrete and verifiable steps that will reduce your company’s plastic footprint. 

Other grocery retailers are showing that this type of commitment is achievable. The regional grocery chain Giant Eagle has committed to eliminating all single-use plastic in its operations by 2025; now we need a national grocer to make similarly ambitious commitments. However, Whole Foods Market scored an “F” in the report released by As You Sow called Waste and Opportunity 2020: Searching for Corporate Leadership.

We ask that you make the aforementioned, necessary changes to lessen your impact on our oceans and rivers as they play a vital role in supporting a healthy, livable planet for wildlife and our communities. We are going to need all hands on deck to deal with the plastic pollution crisis.

Signed, 

Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Kevin Mullin, California

Assemblymember Jim Wood, California

Assemblymember Laura Friedman, California

Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, California

Assemblymember Phil Ting, California

Assemblymember Robert Rivas, California

Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, California

Senator Ben Allen, California

Senator Scott Wiener, California

State House Representative Anna Eskamani, Florida

Representative Ann Williams, Illinois

Representative Joyce Mason, Illinois

Representative Michelle Mussman, Illinois

Delegate Brooke Lierman, Maryland

Delegate David Moon, Maryland

Delegate Jen Terrasa, Maryland

Delegate Marc Korman, Maryland

Delegate Ron Watson, Maryland

Delegate Sara Love, Maryland

Delegate Shaneka Henson, Maryland

Senator Jeff Waldstreicher, Maryland

Senator Mary Washington, Maryland

Representative Marjorie Decker, Massachusetts

Representative Sydney Jordan, Minnesota

Senator Ann Johnson-Stewart, Minnesota

Representative Judith Spang, New Hampshire

Senator Becky Whitley, New Hampshire

Senator David Watters, New Hampshire

Assemblymember Fred W. Thiele Jr., New York

Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, New York

Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, New York

Assemblymember Steven Englebright, New York

Senator Dominick Ruggerio, Rhode Island

Representative Ana-Maria Ramos, Texas

Representative Donna Howard, Texas

Representative Joe Moody, Texas

Representative John Bucy III, Texas

Representative Michelle Beckley, Texas

Representative Rafael Anchia, Texas

Representative Ron Reynolds, Texas

Representative Vikki Goodwin, Texas

Senator Jose Menendez, Texas

Delegate Candi Mundon King, Virgina

Delegate Ibraheem S. Samirah, Virginia

Delegate Kaye Kory, Virginia

Delegate Patrick Hope, Virginia

Senator Jamie Pedersen, Washington