Name: Hy-Vee drops in Greenpeace's ranking of grocers' efforts to reduce single-use plastics
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Hy-Vee drops in Greenpeace's ranking of grocers' efforts to reduce single-use plastics

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Des Moines RegisterView CommentsWest Des Moines-based&nbsp;Hy-Vee is among grocery chains&nbsp;that dropped the most in Greenpeace's latest ranking of U.S. grocery stores' efforts to minimize single-use plastics.According to the&nbsp;global environmental activist group's of 20 large chains'&nbsp;dependency on the plastics, such as disposable shopping bags and packaging, Hy-Vee was 16th, the lowest except for four companies that didn't respond to its requests for information. Among&nbsp;Greenpeace's criticisms: Hy-Vee failed to share information about "its overall plastic footprint."&nbsp;Hy-Vee ranked seventh in Greenpeace's first ranking of grocery chains' plastic use in 2019. In contrast to its lower 2021 ranking, Hy-Vee has &nbsp;from Greenpeace for its efforts to cultivate seafood sustainably.Tina Potthoff, a spokesperson for Hy-Vee, said in a statement that in 2020, the supermarket chain's prioritized "taking care of our customers and employees during COVID-19 and the ongoing public health crisis.""As we adjust to a new sense of normalcy in 2021, we will go back to outlining our sustainability initiatives in public communications as well as outlining our steps to protecting our environment," Potthoff said.The highest-ranked chain was Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle&nbsp;and the lowest was San Antonio's&nbsp;H-E-B.&nbsp;The second-highest-ranked was Aldi, a German-owned company that&nbsp;established its U.S. branch in Burlington but now is headquartered in suburban Chicago. However, Greenpeace noted that none of the chains had received a passing score on its 100 point scale&nbsp;— Giant Eagle scored 34.8&nbsp;— and that their reaction to the pandemic had made matters worse."Many retailers fell prey to plastics industry propaganda&nbsp;and discontinued bans on single-use plastic checkout bags, delayed implementation of reuse initiatives, and struggled to maintain momentum on sustainability initiatives as corporate priorities shifted to keeping shelves stocked and responding to the public health risks of the pandemic," the group&nbsp;said in a news release. "We now know&nbsp;single-use plastics are not inherently safer than reusables, and&nbsp;supermarkets must embrace a reuse revolution."Greenpeace said it determined&nbsp;the ranking after collecting information through a "standardized 21-question survey, email and phone conversations" with the grocers, as well as publicly available sources. It noted that seven of the retailers did not respond.Other market chains operating in metro Des Moines, and their ranks, were Costco, sixth; Walmart, seventh; Whole Foods, 10th; and Target, 12th.Many companies countrywide have slowly begun to in an effort to protect the environment.&nbsp; For example, national brands and &nbsp;both have carried out initiatives to remove from their stores.&nbsp;Greenpeace called&nbsp;for retailers across the country to increase their&nbsp;efforts.&nbsp;“U.S. retailers are moving at a snail’s pace on plastic reduction efforts,” John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA oceans campaign director, said in the news release.&nbsp;"First and most important, we want to see retailers make a commitment to reduce their plastic footprint. Ultimately we want to see them move away from single-use plastics completely, but we do realize that isn't going to happen overnight," Hocevar told The Des Moines Register.In addition, he said retailers should be more transparent in communicating their policies about&nbsp;plastic use and that&nbsp;they should move towards reusable packaging.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has created yet another barrier in the effort to reduce single-use plastics. During the pandemic, the use of plastics with the increased use of medical equipment and food delivery.View Comments

Des Moines RegisterView CommentsWest Des Moines-based&nbsp;Hy-Vee is among grocery chains&nbsp;that dropped the most in Greenpeace's latest ranking of U.S. grocery stores' efforts to minimize single-use plastics.According to the&nbsp;global environmental activist group's of 20 large chains'&nbsp;dependency on the plastics, such as disposable shopping bags and packaging, Hy-Vee was 16th, the lowest except for four companies that didn't respond to its requests for information. Among&nbsp;Greenpeace's criticisms: Hy-Vee failed to share information about "its overall plastic...

Hy-Vee drops in Greenpeace's ranking of grocers' efforts to reduce single-use plastics

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