The Kroger Co. has expanded its Simple Truth Recycling Program – offering customers a free and easy way to recycle flexible plastic packaging – to include all private-label brands, including Private Selection, Kroger Brand, Comforts, Luvsome, Abound and more. The newly expanded Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program is the first program of its kind and advances the retailer’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social and environmental impact plan.
Developed in partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle, the recycling program encourages customers to mail in flexible plastic Our Brands packaging, including potato chip and snack bags, shredded cheese bags, frozen food bags, pouches, deli meat and cheese bags, grain and bean bags, as well as flexible plastic pet food packages. The growing list of eligible products can be viewed at Kroger.com.
“Kroger continues to provide new and innovative solutions to recycle product packaging as part of our bold Zero Hunger | Zero Waste vision,” said Stuart Aitken, Kroger’s chief merchant and marketing officer. “The Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program offers customers an easy way to enjoy their favorite foods and support recycling in flexible plastic packaging. Our industry-leading program advances Kroger’s commitment to more sustainable packaging and complements other efforts to help build a stronger recycling infrastructure in the U.S.”
“Flexible plastic consumer product packaging, including multi-layer films, helps preserve food quality and freshness but is harder to recycle and not accepted in curbside programs,” said Keith Dailey, Kroger’s group VP of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer. “Kroger recognizes the negative impact packaging – including plastic waste – can have on the environment. This is why we remain focused on innovative solutions for reusing and recycling packaging materials.”
How the Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program with TerraCycle Works:
- Sign up for the program at Terracycle.com/Kroger.
- Collect flexible plastic packaging (bags, pouches, liners and wraps) from Kroger’s exclusive Our Brands, including Simple Truth, Private Selection, Kroger Brand, Comforts, Luvsome, Abound and more in any available box.
- When the collection box is full, ship the box of Our Brands packaging to TerraCycle using the free prepaid shipping label available in your account on the program page.
- Start earning points for every pound of eligible packaging sent and redeem points as donations to participating charitable organizations.
The Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office or community organization. Following receipt, the collected packaging will be cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.
“After seeing great success and excitement around the Simple Truth Recycling Program, Kroger is taking its recycling initiative to the next level with a solution for flexible plastic product packaging from all its exclusive brands,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO and founder. “Consumers participating in the program can now enjoy more of their favorite foods while minimizing their environmental impact.”
“Our customers’ response to the Simple Truth Recycling Program is a testament to its real impact and the growing consumer demand for more responsible packaging and easy recycling options,” said Ben Melillo, Kroger’s senior brand manager. “Through the Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program, we remain committed to doing our part and helping customers reduce their environmental footprint in simple ways that are rewarding.”
Kroger’s Our Brands are available for purchase in-store and through pickup, delivery and ship and achieved its best year ever in 2020, exceeding $26.2 billion in sales.
Kroger’s In-Store Plastic Film Recycling Program
In a distinct but complementary program to facilitate even more recycling, Kroger continues to offer customers the option to bring certain types of plastic films to the store for recycling by different partners. Customers can drop off single-use plastic grocery shopping bags, dry cleaning bags, newspaper sleeves, produce bags, bread bags, plastic cereal box liners, multi-pack case overwraps and more.
Select items eligible for the Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program should not be returned to the in-store collection bins. To learn more about both recycling options, see Kroger.com.
Kroger’s 2020 ESG Report
Kroger’s latest sustainable packaging results can be viewed in its 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report. The annual report builds on Kroger’s 14-year history of sustainability reporting, which has tracked the company’s journey to make its operations more efficient, use resources more responsibly and improve the health, safety and well-being of the communities it serves.
Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, will release its 2021 ESG report later this year – which will be viewable at Sustainability.Kroger.com.
