CINCINNATI, Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR), America's favorite grocer, today announced the launch
of its Simple Truth® Recycling Program, offering
customers a free and simple way to recycle the flexible packaging
of more than 300 products from Simple Truth, America's largest
natural and organic brand, with annual sales exceeding $2.5 billion in 2019.
Developed in partnership with international recycling leader
TerraCycle, Kroger's new platform enables customers to recycle a
wide range of flexible packaging not currently accepted in curbside
recycling programs, including produce bags, bread bags and plastic
overwrap from household items like tissues and bottled water. The
Simple Truth Recycling Program marks another significant milestone
for Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan and
establishes Kroger as the first Fortune 25 retailer to offer a free
recycling program for its own private-label brand.
"A key part of achieving our ambitious Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
vision is offering our customers innovative solutions to recycle
and reuse product packaging," said Keith
Dailey, group vice president of corporate affairs and chief
sustainability officer. "We're thrilled to partner with TerraCycle
to launch our new Simple Truth Recycling Program, supporting our
sustainable packaging goals and enabling Kroger customers to
recycle their favorite Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic
products without ever leaving home."
How the Simple Truth Recycling Program works:
- Sign up at TerraCycle.com/SimpleTruth
- Collect Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic flexible plastic
packaging (bags, pouches, liners and wraps)
- Ship the packaging to TerraCycle using a free, prepaid shipping
label
- Earn points for every pound of eligible packaging sent
- Redeem points as donations to charitable organizations
"Thanks to companies like The Kroger Co. and their popular
Simple Truth product line, consumers can enjoy their favorite foods
while being rewarded for doing the right thing," said Tom Szaky,
TerraCycle founder and CEO. "As the first major retailer to create
a free recycling program for their own private-label brand, Kroger
is offering consumers the opportunity to divert packaging from
landfills and make a positive impact on the environment for future
generations."
"Since its launch in January 2013,
Simple Truth has led the way in making natural, organic and
free-from foods more mainstream and accessible for customers," said
Ben Melillo, Kroger's senior brand
manager. "We know more of our customers are seeking out
opportunities to reduce their environmental footprint and we're
excited to meet their needs by introducing the Simple Truth
Recycling Program—an initiative that not only simplifies the
recycling process, but also makes it more rewarding."
The Simple Truth Recycling Program is currently open to
individuals, schools, offices and community organizations across
the U.S. The Simple Truth portfolio includes more than 2,000
natural and organic products, with hundreds of new items launching
each year. To learn more about the brand,
visit SimpleTruth.com.
The Kroger Co.'s Long-term Commitment to Sustainable
Packaging
"Sustainable packaging is a core tenet of our Zero
Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan," continued Dailey. "While
packaging is important for preserving product quality, freshness
and integrity, we also recognize the negative impact
packaging—especially plastic varieties—can have on the environment.
As we continue to drive progress toward our current 2020
sustainability commitments, we're laser-focused on reducing
unnecessary packaging from our enterprise, reusing where we can and
striving for more sustainable packaging across our private-label
portfolio."
By the end of 2019, Kroger reduced the amount of plastic resin
in Our Brands packaging by 10.1 million pounds,
achieving its goal to reduce by 10 million pounds ahead of
schedule.
The company's latest sustainable packaging results will be
released in Kroger's 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance
(ESG) Report this August. 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. Learn more at
Sustainability.Kroger.com.
Media Assets
To download Simple Truth Recycling
Program photography, visit here.
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose:
to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are nearly half a million
associates who serve nine million customers daily through a
seamless digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores
under a variety of banner names, serving America through food
inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste
communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit
our newsroom and investor relations site.
About TerraCycle
TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission
to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 21
countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product
companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packages,
from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up
being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with
leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle
waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and
packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system
that gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in
durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for
sustainability and has donated over $44
million to schools and charities since its founding more
than 15 years ago and was named #10 in Fortune magazine's list of
52 companies Changing the World. To learn more about TerraCycle or
get involved in its recycling programs, please visit
www.terracycle.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kroger-advances-zero-waste-vision-with-new-simple-truth-recycling-program-301105906.html
SOURCE The Kroger Co.