Whole Foods Market has ended its reusable bag credit program, which started in 2008.
The promotion encouraged shoppers to bring reusable bags by offering a 10-cent credit to buyers who brought their own shopping bags.
The program’s aim was to create a more sustainable shopping experience by reducing the number of single-use plastic bags.
According to the company, Whole Foods is ending the program because the goal has been achieved as reusable bags are now widespread.
Whole Foods was the first US grocer to cut down on single-use plastics in 2008 and continued the program for 17 years, in line with the retailer’s eco-friendly and sustainable goals.
Kate Klotz, Whole Foods’ Midwest representative at the time, said: “Whole Foods Market believes that taking care of the environment is everyone’s responsibility.
“As the Environmental Protection Agency’s green power partner of the year the last two years, we intend to lead by example.
“This includes the green elements that each of our new stores have, the fact that our Midwest distribution trucks run on biodiesel fuel, and that we needed to set an example in terms of corporate plastic use.”
However, most grocery retailers have been introducing initiatives to reduce the number of single-use plastics in recent years.
Major US retailers such as Target, CVS, Aldi and Walmart have executed initiatives to reduce single-plastic use over the past years.
Whole Foods Market currently operates around 500 stores in the US, UK and Canada.
Recently, the grocer expanded its footprint in the UK after a decade by opening a new store in London.
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