Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based Dollar General has committed to join the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag as its Value Sector lead partner. The Consortium, through its Beyond the Bag Initiative, aims to identify, test and implement viable design solutions that can more sustainably serve the purpose of the current plastic retail bag.
The Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners launched the initiative to replace the current retail bag in July 2020 and currently has multiple work streams to spur innovation, identify best practices for policy and engage consumers. Recently, the Consortium announced 58 shortlisted solutions from the Beyond the Bag Challenge, selected from 450-plus submissions from more than 60 countries. Challenge winners will be announced soon.
As a sector lead partner, Dollar General will direct priorities and activities for the Beyond the Bag Initiative in the context of the value sector of retail. DG and its more than 17,000 stores across 46 states will explore viable solutions resulting from the Beyond the Bag Challenge and recommend ways in which these solutions can align with the operations of existing stores and customer needs.
“Dollar General’s desire to be good stewards of our communities while reducing our environmental impact through sustainable and business-friendly practices inherently aligns with the Consortium’s vision for a more sustainable retail industry,” said Steve Sunderland, Dollar General’s EVP of store operations. “We understand industry-wide changes and innovative approaches need to be considered, and we look forward to working with Closed Loop Partners and the winning solutions to explore viable alternatives to the current retail bag.”
“We are delighted to welcome Dollar General to the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, joining our Founding Partners CVS Health, Target and Walmart, alongside other leading retailers to pave the way forward for a more sustainable future for retail,” said Kate Daly, managing director of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. “As an innovator in the sector, Dollar General’s commitment is critical to making circular solutions more widely available, while addressing the challenges of the single-use bag.”
Approximately 100 billion single-use plastic bags, typically made of non-renewable fossil fuels, are used in the U.S. annually, and less than 10 percent of these are recycled. These bags have also become among the top 10 items found on beaches and waterways around the world, impacting the planet, people and businesses. To learn more about the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, visit beyondthebaginitiative.com.
