Giant Eagle is a major supermarket and pharmacy retailer chain operating in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is one of the largest supermarkets in North America and ranks among the top 75 retailers in the region.
Giant Eagle has announced that by 2025, it will phase out single-use plastic products across all its operations. These include single-use plastic bags, straws, single-use food containers, and bottled beverages. (Alternatives include non-woven fabric bags, paper straws, bagasse pulp food containers / paper cartons, and glass beverage containers.)
The company has stated that it will roll out a series of short-term initiatives in the coming months. First, it announced that starting in January 2020, pilot programs were launched at its stores in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Cuyahoga (Ohio), and Bexley (Ohio) to gradually phase out single-use plastic bags.
To encourage customers to use reusable shopping bags, Giant Eagle introduced a limited-time promotion. Consumers could purchase a reusable shopping bag at a discounted price of $0.99, while paper bags required an additional charge of 10 cents.
“Nearly 90 years ago, my great-grandfather and four other founders established Giant Eagle with the goal of improving the lives of community residents,” said Laura Shapira Karet, CEO and President of Giant Eagle, in a statement. “Protecting the global environment for future generations is a key part of fulfilling that commitment today.”
In addition to the pilot program, Giant Eagle plans to phase out plastic bags at all Pittsburgh stores. This initiative will be coordinated with the city’s plan to provide free recycling bins for every household.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said in a statement: “I applaud Giant Eagle’s commitment to phasing out single-use plastics by 2025. This is a significant step forward in addressing Pittsburgh’s waste and recycling quality challenges.” He added, “To achieve Pittsburgh’s climate action goals, strong strategic partnerships and bold actions like this are essential.”
