BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons Cos. has joined the Beyond the Bag Initiative, which aims to find a more sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bags. The move is part of an ongoing effort to reduce plastic waste, the retailer said Monday.

“Albertsons Cos. has a passion for innovation and shares Beyond the Bag’s vision of reinventing the single-use retail bag,” said Suzanne Long, group vice president of strategic sourcing & ESG at the company. “Ensuring our products are better for our communities and the planet is a priority for us. We look forward to working with the Beyond the Bag Initiative to help create a more sustainable future.”

Launched in July 2020 by the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, The Beyond the Bag Initiative seeks to:

• Reduce the use of virgin materials and the emission of greenhouse gases associated with the making and use of plastic bags.
• Find an alternative to plastic bags that are just as convenient and useful to consumers.
• Increase the percentage of retail bags diverted from landfills.
• Inspire and engage people to imagine new possibilities for the retail bags.

Last summer, the Consortium launched a global innovation challenge to identify solutions to replace the current plastic bag, inviting entrepreneurs, designers, suppliers, and problem-solver to submit solutions. The Consortium expects to announce winning concepts in February. Eligible winners will receive funding and assistance in scaling. They will also get access to testing and potential piloting opportunities.

“It’s time for us to think beyond the status quo and reinvent the ubiquitous retail bag for a more sustainable future,” said Kate Daly, managing director of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. “We’re thrilled to welcome Albertsons Cos. into this consortium of leading retailers. Together, we can create impact at scale and tackle the challenge of plastic bag waste that spans companies and sectors.”

The Consortium includes the three founding partners CVS Health, Target, and Walmart, as well as Kroger, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Hy-Vee, Meijer and Walgreens.

Albertsons Cos. also continues to pursue its own plastic reduction efforts. They include the plastics and packaging pledge the retailer announced in April 2019, which included a pledge to ensure that 100% of the retailer’s Own Brands packaging is recyclable, reusable, or industrially compostable by 2025. The company has also committed to decreasing its overall use of plastics, especially single-use plastics.

The retailer also offers reusable bags made with recycled bags and plastic film in select stores. The bags are made from 65% recycled material, including at least 40% post-consumer waste, some of which comes from plastics that customers recycle in the stores, and the company’s own operations.

The company’s Southern California stores offer bags made with up to 90% post-consumer plastics that would otherwise end up in oceans and waterways. Each bag is created from material that has been traced through the entire supply chain – from collection to production. And Albertsons is also taking steps to use fewer bags, by decreasing double-bagging and increasing the number of items in each bag. A printed reminder on the bags encourages customers to recycle them, and many stores offer drop-off bins to make recycling more convenient.