Grocery chain giant Kroger to ban single-use plastic bags by 2025

Kroger Corp., America’s largest grocery chain, has announced that it will phase out single-use plastic bags across all of its stores by 2025.

Kroger includes major chains such as Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Food 4 Less, Pick ‘n Save and, of course, Kroger. As of 2017, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company says it owns more than 2,700 supermarkets in 35 states and Washington, D.C.

The phase-out will start with the Seattle-based supermarket chain QFC, which should transition away from plastic by 2019.

In a statement published in USA Today, Kroger chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen elaborated on the company’s decision: “The plastic shopping bag’s days are numbered,” he wrote. “Major cities around the country, from Los Angeles to Chicago to Boston, have banned their use in retail settings. Our customers have told us it makes no sense to have so much plastic only to be used once before being discarded. And they’re exactly right. That’s why Kroger is announcing our intention to phase out single-use plastic grocery bags from our family of stores by 2025. As America’s largest grocer, we recognize we have a responsibility to cut down on unnecessary plastic waste that contributes to litter, harms the environment and, in some cases, can endanger wildlife.”