Shoshy Ciment/Business Insider
Trader Joe's is eliminating plastic for its garlic, making it cheaper.
- Across the board, companies are trying to lower their plastic footprints. The reception among consumers often varies.
- Trader Joe's is using less plastic packaging on certain items as part of a plan to cut more than 1 million pounds of plastic from its stores in 2019. The move caused a price decrease in certain items like garlic, the company announced on its podcast.
- Starbucks announced a plan to eliminate its plastic straws by 2020 in favor of a lid that has garnered much criticism for its resemblance to a child's sippy cup.
- Here are five sustainability initiatives companies implemented that customers loved - and six that they hated.
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Trader Joe's recently announced it would cut plastic packaging from certain food items, having the dual effect of minimizing plastic waste and saving customers some money.
The move is a part of the grocery chain's larger goal to reduce plastic in its stores this year by 1 million pounds, and is a win for both the environment and shoppers.
Read more: We went grocery shopping at Walmart and Whole Foods and saw how Amazon's $13.7 billion bet is failing to beat the superstore in price and selection
But not all changes receive such warm receptions.
Other companies like Starbucks and McDonald's are also working to eliminate items like plastic straws to reduce plastic use to mixed responses.
Business Insider conducted a survey of 1,800 young people earlier this year and saw that over half of the respondents marked that plastic bans were at least somewhat important.
But in practice, the solutions and replacements for the straws and other plastics can sometimes have a negative effect. In some cases, the consequences of reducing plastic can fall on the consumer. H&M charges customers for plastic shopping bags in some locations, something people are not always thrilled about.
From nixing the plastic straw to rewarding customers for bringing their own bags, companies are implementing different strategies to be more eco-friendly that are bound to produce mixed results. Here are five that customers loved and six that they hated.