Natural Grocers Hits Significant Sustainability Milestone

Since 2009, Natural Grocers has had in place disposable bag-free checkouts and additional sustainable practices with the goal of reducing packaging and waste.

Now, the specialty grocer said it has hit a milestone, preventing 500 million single-use plastic bags from entering the environment thanks to its Bring Your Own Bag program. 

The company encourages customers to bring their own bags, actively promotes reusable bags and offers upcycled cardboard boxes from shipments. Each time a customer brings their own bag, Natural Grocers donates $0.05 to local established food bank partners. To date, the grocer has donated more than $1.5 million to local food banks.

"Natural Grocers is proud to achieve this milestone, with the help of our conscientious customers,” said Raquel Isely, vice president of Marketing for Natural Grocers. “Eliminating the use of plastic bags at checkout was a system-level decision that was enthusiastically embraced by our company, customers and good4u Crew, knowing it was an important way to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bag waste.

The company has taken additional steps to reduce packaging and waste. These include: 

• Produce Bags: In 2020 Natural Grocers switched to plant-based, backyard-compostable produce bags and 100% recycled, recyclable, and compostable paper bags.
• Plastic: Reduced plastic stretch wrap in bulk packaging facility and distribution center by approximately 50% from prior year, while the volume of product handled increased.
• Product Selection: To eliminate unnecessary food waste, Natural Grocers does not typically offer self-service bulk bins, deli counters, meat/seafood counters or salad bars at their stores.
• Natural Grocers Brand Products: The company sources packaging that is recyclable, biodegradable and/or compostable and apply minimum sufficient packaging practices.