Whole Foods markets itself as the healthiest grocery store in America, yet every day, it’s making the earth sicker by selling water, fruit and much more wrapped in wasteful single-use plastics.
Around the world, other grocers are offering plastic-free aisles -- even plastic-free stores. They’re selling everything from ice cream to shampoo in refillable containers. But Whole Foods is lagging way behind the competition.
Saturday is World Oceans Day, and this year’s theme is all about stopping plastic pollution. Together, you and I can push Whole Foods to make good on its promise to protect our planet by phasing out single-use plastic.
Sign the petition: Whole Foods, it’s time to stop selling ocean-killing throwaway plastics!
Corporations are ramping up plastic production. Unless we take immediate action, the amount of plastic that pours into the oceans could jump by nearly half in just a few years.
Whole Foods relies on recycling to deal with all the plastic trash it churns out. But we can’t recycle our way out of this mess.
Only 9 percent of all plastic is ever recycled. Each year, millions of tons of junk are shipped from wealthy countries to poor ones to be “recycled” -- often just illegally dumped, burned, or left to wash out to sea.
Tell Whole Foods: Take the plastic-free plunge! Phase out single-use plastic junk.
Whole Foods has already shown it cares about customer demands. It recently announced a ban on plastic straws and the rollout of new bags that would eliminate 800,000 pounds of plastic a year. And it’s been #1 in seafood sustainability for five years in a row.
Scientists say we risk “near permanent” pollution of the earth, and an unending crisis for whales, sea turtles and other ocean animals.
If SumOfUs members like you keep up the pressure, together we can push Whole Foods to make real change on World Oceans Day.
More information
Plastic pollution risks 'near permanent contamination of natural environment'
The Guardian. 19 July 2017.
The Guardian. 19 July 2017.
The Rise of ‘Zero-Waste’ Grocery Stores
Smithsonian Magazine. 15 February 2019.
Smithsonian Magazine. 15 February 2019.