PCC Community Markets to Eliminate Plastic in Delis by 2022

Furthering its commitment to reducing waste, PCC Community Markets has pledged to eliminate all plastic in its delis by 2022. The community-owned food market currently uses more than 5 million plastic deli packaging containers each year and said it will replace petroleum-based plastics with biodegradable, compostable containers.

“Our co-op’s impact on the environment and our role in the proliferation of plastic is something we discuss frequently—from the use of plastic containers for baked goods and deli items to plastic beverage bottles and yogurt cups,” said Brenna Davis, PCC’s VP of social and environmental sustainability, in a statement.

The Seattle-based retailer replaced plastic straws and utensils with compostable options in all of its stores in 2015, ahead of the city’s ban on plastic drinking straws, which went into effect July 1. PCC also introduced compostable trays for fresh meat in 2010 and eliminated plastic grocery bags across all stores in 2007, prior to Seattle’s plastic bag ban in 2012.

“For our sustainability goals, we chose to focus on those areas of our stores we can control, like shopping bags, straws, utensils, plates, takeaway containers and, now, packaging in our deli,” said Davis. “Our hope is that by taking the lead, we can influence change across the region and the broader grocery and packaged goods industries.”

Related:Plastic-Free Aisles in Supermarkets on the Horizon

PCC’s early stores took a “zero waste” approach to grocery, introducing customers to bulk shopping, which allows shoppers to use their own containers to purchase items such as flour, sugar, nuts and peanut butter. The retailer offers a wide variety of bulk items, including grains, legumes, rice, pasta, granola and body care products, and encourages shoppers to bring their own cups for beverages, containers for bulk items and bags for checkout.

With a 65-year history rooted in waste reduction, the retailer was among the first in the Puget Sound to offer recycling in its Kirkland store, beginning in 1978, and implementing composting across all of its locations starting in 1994.