Meijer Joins Initiative to Reinvent the Plastic Bag

Meijer has joined the Beyond the Bag Initiative aimed at identifying, testing and implementing sustainable solutions to move beyond the single-use plastic bag. It's among the retailer's latest efforts to reduce waste and improve recycling, said Vik Srinivasan, SVP of properties and real estate for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer.

"Meijer operates under the philosophy that to be a good company, we must be a good neighbor," Srinivasan said in a release. "We are committed to lessening our impact on the environment and believe our participation in this initiative is an important step in keeping our communities clean for generations to come."

Meijer is among numerous other retailers industrywide that are partnering in the Beyond the Bag Initiative. Hy-Vee joined in October, and other partners include CVS Health, Target, Walmart, Kroger and Walgreens.

Beyond the Bag launched earlier this year by Closed Loop Partners' Center for the Circular Economy. The three-year collaboration is working to find a replacement for the single-use plastic bag that's functional, easy for customers to use and better for the environment. The initiative also engages with stakeholders, including suppliers, materials recovery facilities, municipalities, advocacy groups and others to support this collaborative approach designed to promote viable market solutions that can be scaled and bring value to retailers and customers.

"The scale of the challenge is vast, with single-use plastic bags used widely across industries, sectors and geographies," said Kate Daly, managing director of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. "Addressing a systemic waste challenge requires bringing stakeholders together to solve for a shared challenge.”

Meijer has launched several initiatives over the years with regard to its commitment to sustainable practices and the reduction of plastic waste in the environment, including the January opening of its first small-format store without single-use plastic bags: Woodward Corner Market. Although, the use of reusable bags are currently restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the exceptions of customers using the company's Shop & Scan technology and at self-checkouts.

Since 2014, each Meijer store has also placed collection bins inside its front entrance vestibules for customers to deposit clean, dry plastic bags and films, including single-use, bread, dry cleaning, produce and water softener bags. And in 2019, Meijer began adding a How2Recycle label on its own brand packaging to better help customers understand how to dispose of the materials, and the retailer set a goal that Meijer brand packaging will be made from 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable materials by 2025.

"Lessening our impact on the environment through increased recycling efforts is an issue that is important to us and our customers, and one that we are working diligently to address," said Erik Petrovskis, director of environmental compliance and sustainability for Meijer. "I look forward to reviewing the innovative solutions that will stem from this collaboration.