Filed under: Consumer experience, Marketing and advertising, Whole Foods Market (WFMI), Green Stocks
Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI) is banning plastic bags from its 270 locations. The switch to a choice between reusable bags and paper will take effect on Earth Day, April 22.
It’s certainly a bold move and demonstrates a lot of concern for the environment. It will also spruce up Whole Foods’ image as an environmentally-conscious retailer and generate a ton of free publicity for the company, starting with the New York Times story.
Whole Foods has served as a trend-setter for the bigger grocery chains, and this move could inspire stores like Kroger (NYSE: KR) and Safeway (NYSE: SWY) to make similar switches, depending on how it works out.
During its trial runs, Whole Foods found that eliminating plastic only led to a 10% increase in paper bag use, demonstrating that consumers tend to switch to the reusable bags.
That’s good for the environment, and it also cuts costs: Even Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has taken notice by phasing in reusable bags as a third option. The plastic bag seems destined for obsolescence.
The 21st century may be the end of the “Plastics, young man!” era.
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