Sobeys’ plan to remove plastic grocery bags would result in elimination of 225 million plastic bags from circulation at its 255 locations
Image: Sobeys intends to remove unnecessary plastic bags from its grocery stores. Photo: courtesy of Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay.
Canadian food retailer Sobeys has announced its plans to remove plastic bags from all of its grocery stores by the end of January 2020.
The move is expected to eliminate 225 million plastic grocery bags from circulation at Sobeys’ 255 locations annually across Canada.
Sobeys, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire Company, owns or franchises more than 1,500 stores in all 10 Canadian provinces under retail banners including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods, among others.
The grocer also operates more than 350 retail fuel locations.
The latest decision is a part of the retailer’s efforts to eliminate unnecessary plastic from grocery stores and focus on promoting reusable, sustainable alternatives.
Commenting on the Sobeys’ move, Empire president and CEO Michael Medline said: “So many of our customers and our employees have told us loud and clear — they want us to use less plastic — and we agree with them.
“This is a first step, and we plan to make meaningful progress every year to take plastic out of our stores and our products. We decided to act now instead of taking years to study and only make long-term commitments.
“We’re taking action now, making a tangible difference today and into the future. This is a significant first step, but it’s only a first step. We need to go further, and we will.”
Sobeys aims to phase out unnecessary plastic from grocery stores
As part of its sustainability efforts, Sobeys intends to phase out plastic grocery bags and introduce paper bags in all other banners including Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland and others.
Additionally, the company, as the next step, plans to remove plastic grocery bags from IGA stores on Montreal Island in Quebec.
A campaign is planned to be launched by IGA in September 2019 to encourage reusable bag adoption.
Sobeys sustainability vice-president Vittoria Varalli said: “It’s time for change, and we will not stop innovating and bringing to market new ways to remove avoidable plastic from retail.
“We are working with our industry partners and key stakeholders on eradicating plastics from the system. There are many factors to balance like food waste and food safety when assessing the need for packaging in the grocery retail supply chain.”