Latest news with #ZeroHungerZeroWaste
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Newsweek Names Kroger One of America's Most Trustworthy Companies
Retailer recognized for outstanding associate, customer and investor trust scores CINCINNATI, June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), America's grocer, today announced it has been recognized by Newsweek as one of "America's Most Trustworthy Companies" for 2025. "We work to earn trust every day by delivering great quality food at low prices, offering dependable employment with opportunities for fulfilling careers, caring for our communities and rewarding shareholders," said Ron Sargent, Kroger's Chairman and CEO. Companies earn this distinction from three main public pillars of trust – associate trust, customer trust and investor trust. The ranking reflects Kroger's continued efforts to provide customers with fresh, affordable food, employees with a workplace that respects and values every associate, and neighbors with a commitment to create communities free from hunger and food waste through Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan. Since launching Zero Hunger | Zero Waste in 2017, the retailer has directed more than 3.9 billion meals to feed hungry families in local communities. To learn more about Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, visit here. The Kroger Co. has been named a 2024 top place to work by the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability:IN™, was honored by Handshake for excellence in early career hiring, named a best workplace for diverse professionals by Mogul, earned recognition from Newsweek as One of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and ranked among Computerworld's Top 100 best places to work in IT. Visit to learn more about pursuing a career in roles that enhance the customer experience at Kroger. About Kroger At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit™. We are, across our family of companies more than 400,000 associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through an eCommerce experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE The Kroger Co.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Where Kroger's pledge to get rid of plastic bags by 2025 stands
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Seven years ago, the Ohio-based grocery chain Kroger pledged to get rid of plastic bags in all of its stores by 2025. Kroger made the announcement in August 2018, stating it would phase out single-use plastic bags and transition to reusable bags by 2025. The commitment included all of the brands Kroger owns, including grocery chains Dillons, Ralphs and QFC. See NBC4's previous coverage in the video player above. Battle of central Ohio bagel shops ends as owners reach settlement In an editorial published in the Cincinnati Enquirer at the time, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen wrote that the waste generated by the bags at the company's over 2,700 stores – including its subsidiaries – would drop by 123 million pounds per year. The plan was part of Kroger's 'Zero Hunger Zero Waste' initiative, which aims to address a variety of social and environmental issues, such as food insecurity. The announcement stated the plan would begin with Seattle-based supermarket QFC, which has a total of nearly 60 locations in Washington and Oregon. QFC completely eliminated single-use plastic bags by April 2019. While Kroger saw success with QFC, it seems its goal to eliminate plastic bags across all of its stores by 2025 has fallen flat, considering numerous locations still use plastic bags. However, the original announcement did not specify if Kroger's commitment was intended to be accomplished by Jan 1, 2025, or by the end of the year. The company claims it has made progress toward eliminating plastic bags, with Kroger's 2024 environmental, social and governance report stating 'more than 700' of the stores owned by the company have stopped offering single-use plastic bags to date. New Big Lots owner to auction leases of several central Ohio stores The 2024 report still listed phasing out single-use plastic bags as a goal with a target year of 2025. However, the company did not mark the goal as 'on track' like some of its other initiatives, but rather an 'area of focus.' The company said differences in state and local politics have complicated reducing single-use plastic bags, but did not get into specifics. The annual report states Kroger 'remains focused on finding feasible ways to reduce the amount of single-use plastic grocery shopping bags used in our stores.' The report did not say when, or if, plastic bags will be phased out. A prior report from 2020 stated the company was on track to reach the goal of eliminating the single-use bags by 2025. In 2021, Kroger said it was developing a roadmap for the goal amid 'pandemic-related disruptions,' but still listed its status as on track. However, in 2022, the company changed the goal's standing from 'on track' to an 'area of focus,' where it remained in 2023. Plastic bags frequently end up in landfills or the ocean, with animals often ingesting them, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The nonprofit also claims that it takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. Ohio State students honor, celebrate championship team Multiple other retailers have eliminated their use of plastic bags to help reduce the negative environmental impacts they can cause. Whole Foods stopped offering plastic bags in 2008, becoming the first American grocer to do so, according to the company. Trader Joe's followed suit in 2019 and Aldi in 2023. Some states, such as New York and California, have laws banning single-use plastic bags. Kroger, and other grocery chains, have removed single-use bags in states that require it. Kroger did not respond to a request for comment regarding its future goals and expected timeline when it comes to completely eliminating single-use plastic bags. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
