You won’t face the question of “paper or plastic?” while checking out at Kroger‘s supermarkets for much longer.
The nation’s largest grocery chain announced Thursday it plans to eliminate single-use plastic bags at all of its stores by 2025. The company, instead, says it plans to transition to reusable bags.
The company’s QFC stores will be the first to make the switch, with the transition expected to be complete by 2019. From there, it will roll into other holdings, including Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, and Ralph’s.
“It’s a bold move that will better protect our planet for future generations,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s chairman and CEO in a statement.
The company says it will solicit customer feedback to ensure a smooth transition.
Kroger pointed to estimates that 100 billion plastic grocery bags are thrown away every year. Less than 5% of those are recycled, which adds greatly to the plastic found in the environment.
The move follows recent environmental actions by the company. (Kroger was #6 on Fortune‘s Change the World list.) It plans to divert 90% of the waste it sends to landfills by 2020 and last year sent 91 million pounds of food to local food banks.
Plastic grocery bags are the latest target among environmentalists, after several major companies have agreed to do away with plastic straws. Marriott, Aramark, and Hyatt hotels have all agreed to phase them out in the coming years.
