Kroger Continues to Advance Zero-Waste Vision as First Retailer in The World to Offer the Our Brands Recycling Program as Supported by TerraCycle

CINCINNATI, April 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), America's largest grocer, today announced the expansion of its Simple Truth® Recycling Program – offering customers a free and easy way to recycle flexible plastic packaging – to include all private-label brands, including Private Selection®, Kroger® Brand, Comforts®, Luvsome®, Abound®, and more. The newly expanded Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program is the first program of its kind and advances the retailer's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social and environmental impact plan.

Developed in partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle, the innovative and eco-conscious Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program encourages customers to mail in flexible plastic Our Brands packaging, including potato chip and snack bags, shredded cheese bags, frozen food bags, pouches, deli meat and cheese bags, grain and bean bags, as well as flexible plastic pet food packages. The growing list of eligible products can be viewed at Kroger.com.

"Kroger continues to provide new and innovative solutions to recycle product packaging as part of our bold Zero Hunger | Zero Waste vision," said Stuart Aitken, Kroger's chief merchant and marketing officer. "The Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program offers customers an easy way to enjoy their favorite foods and support recycling in flexible plastic packaging. Our industry-leading program advances Kroger's commitment to more sustainable packaging and complements other efforts to help build a stronger recycling infrastructure in the U.S."

"Flexible plastic consumer product packaging, including multi-layer films, helps preserve food quality and freshness but is harder to recycle and not accepted in curbside programs," said Keith Dailey, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer. "Kroger recognizes the negative impact packaging—including plastic waste—can have on the environment. This is why we remain focused on innovative solutions for reusing and recycling packaging materials."

How the Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program with TerraCycle Works

1. Sign up for the program at http://www.Terracycle.com/Kroger.
2. Collect flexible plastic packaging (bags, pouches, liners, and wraps) from Kroger's exclusive Our Brands, including Simple Truth®, Private Selection®, Kroger® Brand, Comforts®, Luvsome®, Abound®, and more in any available box.
3. When your collection box is full, ship the box of Our Brands packaging to TerraCycle using the free prepaid shipping label available in your account on the program page.
4. Start earning points for every pound of eligible packaging sent and redeem points as donations to participating charitable organizations.

The Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office, or community organization. Following receipt, the collected packaging will be cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.

"After seeing great success and excitement around the Simple Truth Recycling Program, Kroger is taking its recycling initiative to the next level with a solution for flexible plastic product packaging from all its exclusive brands," said TerraCycle CEO and Founder, Tom Szaky. "Consumers participating in the program can now enjoy more of their favorite foods while minimizing their environmental impact."

"Our customers' response to the Simple Truth Recycling Program is a testament to its real impact and the growing consumer demand for more responsible packaging and easy recycling options," said Ben Melillo, Kroger's senior brand manager. "Through the Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program, we remain committed to doing our part and helping customers reduce their environmental footprint in simple ways that are rewarding."

Kroger's Our Brands are available for purchase in-store and through pickup, delivery, and ship and achieved its best year ever in 2020, exceeding $26.2 billion in sales. To download Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program photography, visit here.

Kroger's In-Store Plastic Film Recycling Program
In a distinct but complementary program to facilitate even more recycling, Kroger continues to offer customers the option to bring certain types of plastic films to the store for recycling by different partners. Customers can drop off single-use plastic grocery shopping bags, dry cleaning bags, newspaper sleeves, produce bags, bread bags, plastic cereal box liners, multi-pack case overwraps and more. Select items eligible for the Kroger Our Brands Recycling Program should not be returned to the in-store collection bins. To learn more about both recycling options, see Kroger.com.    

Kroger's 2020 ESG Report
Kroger's latest sustainable packaging results can be viewed in its 2020 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report. The annual report builds on Kroger's 14-year history of sustainability reporting, which has tracked the company's journey to make its operations more efficient, use resources more responsibly and improve the health, safety, and well-being of the communities it serves. Kroger will release its 2021 ESG report later this year – which will be viewable at Sustainability.Kroger.com.

About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are nearly half a million associates who serve nine million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

About TerraCycle
TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 20 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system that gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $44 million to schools and charities since its founding more than 15 years ago and was named #10 in Fortune magazine's list of 52 companies Changing the World. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, please visit www.terracycle.com.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.