Trader Joe’s to Phase Out Plastic Packaging

In Trader Joe’s February 2019 edition of its newsletter, Fearless Flyer, the grocery chain announced major plans to reduce its plastic usage. At the end of 2018, the chain’s sustainability tab on its website was updated to say, “Taking into consideration our customer feedback and our desire to be great neighbors, we have been taking a careful look at our packaging and the opportunities that exist to make improvements, with respect to sustainability.” Now, it has announced plans to sell more produce (such as apples, potatoes, and pears) as loose items instead of bagged in plastic, replace plastic wrappers on flower bouquets with renewable materials, eliminate non-recyclable plastic and foil pouches from its tea packages, and replace styrofoam trays in produce packaging with compostable trays. With these new green initiatives in 2019, Trader Joe’s says, “we are eliminating more than 1 million pounds of plastic from our stores,” as well as that it “expect[s] that number to grow as we continue to identify sustainable opportunities and take action.” The grocery chain has already shown an interest in providing sustainable alternatives with it’s ever growing plant-based product offerings, such as oil-free cashew cheese dip, jackfruit-based crab cakes, and dairy-free milk alternatives made from almonds, macadamia nuts, and cashews.