Whole Foods Market issues green packaging guidelines for body care and supplement suppliers
Retailer spearheads change with PCR containers for own-brand products
Natural and organic grocer Whole Foods Market is now implementing its recently developed responsible packaging guidelines for body care and supplement suppliers.
The guidelines – which were developed in collaboration with 25 of Whole Foods Market’s largest product suppliers – came into effect 1 September 2009, from when the chain’s 2,100-plus suppliers were given a year to reduce their use of plastic, switch to glass where possible and limit materials to those that are easily reused/recycled, or which feature the highest percentage of PCR content.
To encourage its suppliers to make the change, Whole Foods Market has switched the containers for several of its own-brand supplements and body care products to PCR plastic alternatives. The new bottles bear a leaf symbol to signify that they are made from 100% PCR plastic and Whole Foods Market says that it expects to use only PCR materials to pack its own-label products by late 2010.
