Costco and Walmart scored worst in the Greenpeace Superplastics 2021 rankings, sixth and seventh respectively, with Costco scoring 20.53 (out of 100) and Walmart scoring 18.10.
To rank each supermarket chain, Greenpeace analyzed policies and measures and reduced the size and transparency of each major supermarket chain to reduce the use of plastic. It also indicates whether the retailer has declined to participate in the investigation process. (Experts predict there will be a grocery shortage in 2021)
Costco is up three places from last year as it continues to work towards reducing plastic packaging for the next 10 years. The drop in scores praised the wholesaler sustainability site and pledged to replace plastic used in food stores with compostable materials. However, the company was not involved in the investigation. Greenpeace also stated that Costco’s strategy was not bold enough, and Costco did not disclose any information about the actual plastic footprint. Burns producing toxic fumes).
Compared to last year’s rankings, Walmart is down one place. In fact, Greenpeace sued the company in 2020 on the grounds that it was “illegally and falsely promoted to recycle branded plastic and single-use packaging materials.” The retail giant has pledged to use compostable packaging for its brand by 2025, but Greenpeace said the pledge did not specify how much packaging can actually be reused. However, a recent report from Greenpeace praised Walmart for publicly sharing information about its plastic footprint, but said that, like Costco, this is not a complete assessment.
Supermarket chain Giant Eagle took first place in the Greenpeace ranking this year with only 34.88 points. Aldi followed, followed by Buds, Kruger and Albertson. Publix and Hy-Vee were ranked 15th and 16th respectively, and the popular Texas supermarket chain HEB ranked 1.5 out of 100, due to their lack of plastic restriction policies and their lack of participation in the survey.
Overall, Greenpeace said the results indicate that more work needs to be done as supermarkets should “immediately dispose of unnecessary single-use packaging, get rid of single-use plastics and switch to viable alternatives.” Reusable, refillable, and reusable. Other single use materials will not reduce pollution and we will continue to pollute our societies and our planet. ”
She also indicated that supermarket chains should “correct misleading labels by claiming that the packaging is likely to end up in landfills or incinerators so that it can be recycled.” Why is this important? In contrast, one study (other than saving the planet) said three quarters of plastic products are toxic every day.