Retailers Join the Beyond the Bag Initiative

By [ Kaela Martins ]

In July 2020, Closed Loop Partners’ Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag convened retailers in an initiative to reinvent the plastic retail bag with the goal to identify, test and implement a more sustainable bag. Consortium retail partners collectively committed more than $15 million to launch the Beyond the Bag Initiative. The initiative started with founding partners CVS Health, Target, and Walmart but has expanded to include retailers such as Hy-Vee, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Kroger, and Walgreens.

The Beyond the Bag Initiative has called on innovators, suppliers, designers, etc. to submit cutting-edge ideas to change the current plastic retail bag into one that has ease and convenience but also reduced environmental impact. Submissions are currently being reviewed and winners will be announced in early 2021.

The consortium is not the only effort that retailers are making to solve the issue of environmental impacts from plastic bags. For example, DICK’s Sporting Goods and Kroger have both set ambitious goals to eliminate single-use plastic shopping bags by 2025. Other retailers are focusing on the type of bags, such as Walmart’s goal to have 100% recyclable, reusable or industrially compostable packaging by 2025. These are examples of the many actions that retailers are taking in this area to reduce plastic waste.

To stay up to date with the consortium or the addition of new retailers, click here. For information on solid waste regulations, including recycling requirements and plastic bag bans visit the RCC Solid Waste Resource Page.

Retailers Join the Beyond the Bag Initiative

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